The Ninth Cullen
by irishwerewolves
Summary: Kristen wakes up a vampire, but how did she become one? And what is the deal with her new abilities? She meets Carlisle Cullen, a fellow vampire, who she hopes will explain everything to her. Set after BD. Chapter 56 is now up!
1. Prologue

_**AN:**__ no humans were harmed in the making of this story (except perhaps for my sister, who thankfully only received a few bruises, broken bones and chipped teeth!)_

**The Ninth Cullen**

**Prologue**

_Alice turned to Carlisle, her golden eyes blank as though she was daydreaming._

"_Carlisle, we're going to have a new member of the family." She said and he looked surprised and confused._

"_What do you mean Alice? None of us are capable of having children, so unless…" he broke off, Alice's meaning beginning to dawn on him. "Oh."_

"_But we need to hurry if we're to save her." Alice said, her eyes still blank and Carlisle grabbed her hand._

"_Then we'd better go now. If that's a vampire attacking her, as you say it is, it'll only be scared off if there are more than just one of us there." He said and she stood up. Together, they ran out of the house and into the Tasmanian forest, towards the scent of blood and screams that were now reaching the two vampires._


	2. Chapter 1: Waking Up

_Chapter 1: Waking Up_

I woke in a strange place, dazed and confused. Looking around, I saw that I was in a large room, with white walls all around me, except for a large window in the wall to my right. I was lying in the only bed in the room. Just as I sat up, however, the door to the room opened and a man with blonde-brown hair, deathly pale skin and golden eyes walked into the room, saw I was awake and walked briskly over to me. I looked at him, confusion beginning to overwhelm me.

"W-who are you?" I asked him, my throat burning like fire with every word I said. "W-where am I?"

The strange man sighed and sat on the chair next to my bed.

"I'm not surprised you don't recognise or remember me, Kristen." He said.

"How do you know my name?" I asked the man.

"It was on your backpack." He said, laughing softly, before becoming serious again. "Now, my name is Carlisle Cullen. It was my daughter and I who found you, bleeding and crippled with a bite wound to your throat. I would've sucked out the venom from your bite, but you were so badly injured that you'd have died if I did." He said.

"Suck out what venom?" I asked him. "I wasn't bitten by any poisonous animal or anything like that."

"No, you're right. It wasn't an animal that bit you, it was a –" he began, just as I gave a yell of surprise, looking at my right hand, while I held my left hand to my chest.

"I don't have a heartbeat! And I'm as pale as death!" I yelled. "This just isn't possible! I just _have_ to be dreaming!"

Startled, the man who called himself Carlisle placed a strong, but gentle hand on my shoulder and pushed me back onto the bed.

"Calm down Kristen. Just listen while I tell you everything." He said and I obeyed, breathing heavily. "You were attacked by a vampire. That's the venom that was going through your veins; vampire venom. I only just got to you in time to prevent you from being sucked dry of all your blood." He explained and I nodded, watching him intently. "Now, as I said, if I'd sucked out the venom, you'd have died, so I rushed you here, instead."

"Wait a sec, you didn't explain to me where 'here' is!" I interrupted, looking around again. Carlisle sighed, placing his hand on my shoulder again.

"You're in the Cullen's holiday house, to put it simply. My family and I usually live in Forks, in Washington, but we came here to Australia for a holiday. Does that answer your question?" he asked me and I nodded. "Good. Now, as I was saying, I brought you here three days ago, knowing that if any humans found you, you'd probably have killed them. My family and I are all vampires too, before you ask. My wife and I are not biologically the parents of our 'children'. We adopted them once they'd become vampires, instead." He said and I looked again at my hand, then down at my chest.

"So…so I'm a vampire too, then?" I asked him.

"Yes, you are. You'll be safe if you decide to stay with us, but we will eventually have to go back to America." He replied and I nodded.

"Can I stay with you?" I asked him.

"Of course. I'll take you hunting first, to satisfy that thirst for blood that you're most likely feeling, and then you can come to meet my family." He said, standing up, and I followed suit.

"But…I don't know anything about hunting. How am I supposed to do it without any weapons?" I asked him and he sighed, smiling at me.

"First, before I explain to you how you hunt, we should get out of the house. Follow me." He said, walking towards the window and opening it, jumping out. "Jump. It's alright, you're not going to die when you hit the ground." He said and I took a deep breath, jumping out of the window and landing on my feet. I looked up and saw that I'd just jumped out of a second-storey window.

"Wow, did I really do that?" I asked disbelievingly.

"Yes, you did. Vampires are naturally very strong and very fast. We're designed to kill, but my family and I only hunt animals, not humans." Carlisle said, smiling wider. "Now, with hunting, your instincts will take over and it'll seem like a breeze. Close your eyes for a moment and listen carefully to your surroundings. What do you hear?" he asked me and I closed my eyes and listened hard.

"I can hear running water, leaves rustling, and hearts beating in the distance." I said.

"Exactly. Now, use your nose. Vampires have very good hearing and a very good sense of smell. What can you smell?" he asked me.

"I can smell you, um, a sweet and slightly tangy scent, and another, more appealing scent." I said, sniffing the air around me.

"The sweet and slightly tangy scent is the scent of a human, and the other scent is that of a rabbit." He said and I opened my eyes. "And I am definitely not food." He added and we both laughed.

"The rabbit scent is much more appealing than the human scent." I said and he looked moderately surprised.

"Okay, now let your hearing and sense of smell take over while you hunt." He said and I did as I was told, thinking of the rabbit's blood running down my throat, and to my surprise the rabbit flew through the air and landed in my arms. Its scent overwhelming, I sank my teeth into the soft flesh on its throat.

Once I'd finished feeding, I turned to look at Carlisle. He was absolutely astonished, his jaw dropped and his eyes wide.

"How…how did you do that?" he asked me softly in a shocked voice.

"I guess I just willed it to be here and it appeared in my arms. Why, did I do something wrong?" I asked him, looking briefly at the dead rabbit in my arms.

"No, I just haven't seen a vampire use telekinetic powers before, that's all." He said and I began to understand.

"Oh, okay." I replied, dropping the rabbit.

"Now, I don't think that rabbit was enough to completely satisfy the thirst, was it?" he asked me and I shook my head. "Hunt as much as you wish, but please don't go for the humans that are nearby." He said and I wrinkled my nose in mock disgust.

"The humans don't smell at all appealing to me." I said and he looked surprised.

"You're the first newborn I know of that has found human blood unappealing. Interesting…" he said, looking thoughtful. "Kristen, you don't mind if I take a sample of your blood from the clothes you were wearing when you were attacked, do you?" he asked me and I shook my head.

"I don't mind." I replied and he nodded.

"I'll get right to that once we've finished hunting. I need to hunt, too." He said and I nodded as he ran into the distance, chasing a Tasmanian devil. I willed a Tasmanian devil into my arms and I drained it of all its blood, before running to where I could smell Carlisle.

Once we'd finished hunting, we ran back to the house and as soon as we entered, I saw eight other people in the house, looking curiously at Carlisle and I.

"Who's that Carlisle?" a boy with very short, very dark brown hair and golden eyes asked Carlisle. I looked around at the rest of the group and saw another boy with slightly longer brown, blonde-tipped hair; another boy with shortish brown hair; a woman with long, curly brown hair, a girl with short brown hair, another girl with long blonde hair; a young girl that had waist-length brown hair and brown eyes instead of golden, and another woman with long brown hair. All were looking curiously at me, except for the short-haired girl, who smiled at me.

"This is Kristen, guys. Kristen, this is my wife, Esme," he indicated the woman with long, curly brown hair. "This is Emmett," he indicated the boy who had spoken, "this is Edward," he indicated the boy with brown hair, "this is Edward's wife, Bella," he indicated the other woman, "this is Bella and Edward's daughter, Renesmee," he indicated the young girl with brown eyes, "this is Jasper," he indicated the last boy, "this is Rosalie," he indicated the blonde girl, "and this is Alice, the one that helped me find you." He indicated the girl who'd smiled at me.

"Um, pleased to meet you all." I said, smiling at them.

"Kristen will be the newest member of the family. It looks like you were right again, Alice." Carlisle told his family and they all gradually smiled at me, after getting over the shock of my sudden appearance.

"Welcome to the family, Kristen." Esme said, smiling at me. One thing I'd noticed about all the Cullens was that they were all deathly pale like Carlisle.

"Um, thank you." I replied, smiling politely at them all.

"Now, I'll allow you to settle in, Kristen, while I have a look at the DNA in your blood." Carlisle said, smiling as he left the room and walked upstairs.

"What was that about?" Rosalie asked, looking confused.

"Um, when I became a vampire, Carlisle took me hunting and we both realised that I have telekinetic powers and the scent of human blood isn't at all appealing to me." I replied nervously.

"Wow, really?" Bella asked and I nodded.

"She's the first newborn I've ever heard of that doesn't find human blood appealing. I can see why Carlisle would want to study that." Edward said, tilting his head to one side, looking thoughtful.

"Same here, and I've known a lot of newborns." Jasper added.


	3. Chapter 2: Secrets Revealed

_Chapter 2: Secrets Revealed_

A week had passed and the Cullens found that my eyes went golden much sooner than the normal vampire's eyes would. They also found I was much less wild than most newborns at this stage.

One day, about a week and a half after I'd been turned, Carlisle descended the stairs, looking triumphant.

"I've finally figured it out!" he said as we all sat on couches in the living room.

"What's that Carlisle?" Rosalie asked him.

"Kristen, as a human, had unusual DNA. And that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you Kristen, but you were born with an unusual ability. Almost like Alice." He said, looking at me. "You were born with a very underdeveloped telekinetic ability. When you were turned, however, that ability became much more acute, giving you the ability to move things at will."

"Um, okay." I said, trying to get my head around what he'd said to me.

"And, in regards to human blood being unappealing to you, well, that was much more difficult for me to figure out, but I eventually managed to come up with a theory. Kristen, when you were human, you wouldn't have been able to eat most of the foods that other humans ate, because you had an unusual intolerance to most foods. You most likely would've only been able to eat salads, fruit and vegetables. Otherwise, you would've had an allergic reaction. This intolerance has obviously stayed with you even now. That's why you're finding human blood unusually unappealing. You must be intolerant to it, meaning that you would have an unusual allergic reaction to it if you ingest any more than you originally started off with. That's the most likely reason behind your unusual talents." He explained and Esme looked confused.

"But Carlisle, if she's a vampire, what would the allergic reaction to human blood be for her? Would it threaten her life in a way that none of us had ever thought possible?" she asked her husband.

"I'm not completely sure if it would threaten her life if ingested, Esme, but I'd rather not take the risk. I can't even tell for sure what her reaction would be. Remember, what I said to you is just a theory because it's very difficult to tell for sure what biological problems she may have had when she was human, even for me." He said softly and we all nodded.


	4. Chapter 3: Off To America

_Chapter 3: Off to America_

After about a month, Carlisle approached me while I was out hunting and told me to pack my things because we were about to go to the airport to America.

"Okay, I'm on my way." I said and we ran at top speed back to the house and I raced around my room, grabbing my clothes and putting them into a bag. With that, I ran down the stairs, where I met my new family all waiting for me at the front door.

"Alright, are we all ready?" Carlisle asked us all, and we nodded. "Good." He said and we all piled into the two cars that would wait in the long-term parking until our return to Australia. It was dark when we caught our plane to America, and I sat next to Alice and Jasper, while Carlisle, Esme and Edward were behind us and Bella (with Renesmee on her lap), Rosalie and Emmett were in front of us.

About halfway through the flight, we had to close our window shades to prevent sunlight touching our skin. Carlisle had explained to me before we left that when sunlight touched a vampire's skin, it shimmered like hundreds of little diamonds.

Shortly afterwards, we landed in Washington state and got off the plane, piling into the cars that awaited us in the car parking.

"By the way Kristen," Jasper said to me as we drove through the small town of Forks to our destination. "How old were you when you were turned?" I looked surprised, trying as hard as I could to think back.

"Ummm…I think I was nineteen. But I can't entirely remember." I replied.

"Wow, okay. I was just wondering." He said and I smiled at him.

Arriving at the Cullens household, we entered the house, and I noticed that it was so light and roomy. I looked around in awe, smiling.

"Welcome to your new home Kristen." Carlisle said, smiling at me. "Follow me and I'll show you where your room is." He added and I followed him up the stairs and into a large room that contained an enormous open window that looked out into the surrounding forest, a daybed and a large cupboard where I could put my clothes.

"Wow, thank you." I said as I looked around.

"I'm glad you like it." He said, smiling at me. "This is where you can retreat if ever you need some quiet time."

"Thank you Carlisle, I can't thank you enough." I said, speechless. We descended the stairs again and I couldn't stop smiling.


	5. Chapter 4: Learning to Fight

_Chapter 4: Learning to Fight_

A week later, Emmett challenged me to a practise fight and I sighed, agreeing grudgingly. He leapt at me and I quickly used telekinesis to pull Esme's dining table in front of me for protection.

"Don't use the table!" Esme shouted at us as I held my hands against it just as Emmett reached me and, instead of crashing through it, bounced off it, out of the open window and into the nearby river. I looked at the table and discovered that it was completely undamaged. I sheepishly put it back just as Rosalie ran past me to Emmett. I turned around and saw that Esme was looking relieved; while Edward, Jasper, Bella and Alice were laughing so hard they had to cling to each other to remain standing. Carlisle, however, was looking stunned.

"Wha–? How did you do that?" he asked me, very surprised. I looked at my hands in shock at what I'd just done, when a voice came from behind me.

"Kristen, you are going to get it! I demand a rematch!" Emmett said and I spun around to see him walking towards me, dripping wet, Rosalie looking half amused, half unamused at what had just happened.

"Ah, and Emmett returns from his bath!" Edward laughed and Emmett glared at him.

"Did you enjoy your bath, Emmett?" Jasper laughed.

"Shut up!" Emmett told the two boys, walking upstairs to change into some dry clothes.

"Okay, now that Emmett's gone to change, how did you do that, Kristen?" Carlisle asked me again.

"How did I do what?" I asked him curiously. "I just pulled it towards me to protect me."

"Yes, but he should've broken through it. Remember a vampire's strength? The table shouldn't have been enough to hold him off. He shouldn't have bounced off it like that. It should've broken…and it's good that it didn't." he added with a sheepish grin at his wife.

"I…I really don't know." I said, looking up at him.

"Hey Carlisle, I have an idea; maybe it's another ability of hers!" Bella said, looking from me to the table.

"I–I guess…I mean, I don't know how I managed it, but I obviously did it…" I said softly, looking at my hands, surprised and confused.

"What do you mean Bella?" Carlisle asked her softly.

"I mean that, maybe she also has the ability to put her own vampiric strength into any object that she chooses." She replied, looking at Edward briefly.

"Well, I guess Emmett's going to have a lot on his plate if he wants to keep challenging you. That's for sure. Especially with your possible new ability." Carlisle laughed.

"That's alright Carlisle, he's only going to challenge her once more." Alice said and I looked at her, confused. Carlisle saw my confused expression and smiled.

"Alice has the ability to see the future." He told me and I nodded.

"So who's going to win the next one, Alice?" Edward asked her, still trying to stop laughing.

"Kristen." She replied and I looked moderately surprised.

"Actually, Kristen's new ability could come in handy if we ever have to fight off other vampires." Jasper said and I looked startled.

"Yes, very true Jasper, but let's not scare her now. She's already surprised enough as it is, without us scaring her as well." Carlisle told him and he nodded, smiling reassuringly at me.

"Sorry Kristen, I didn't mean to scare you, if that's the effect my words had." He said and I smiled at him.

"Don't worry; your words just startled me a little bit, that's all. Otherwise they had no effect on me at all." I told him.

Two days later, the day of Emmett's rematch arrived and instead of being inside the house, this time we were outside in the forest.

"This time Kristen, don't use that new ability that you've got. Because otherwise it isn't fair." He told me and I laughed.

"Awww come on Emmett! Not fair? It's the only fighting strategy I know of." I told him, but he shook his head.

"No, because it's not fair. I don't have any special abilities, so there's no fairness if you're using things around us to your advantage." He said.

"Then, Emmett, if she's not allowed to use her new ability, you should teach her to fight without it. She won't stand a chance, otherwise." Carlisle said and he sighed.

"Carlisle, there's no fun in beating her if I can't have an advantage. I don't want to teach her!" he whined.

"Alright then, if you won't teach her, Emmett, I will. Kristen, follow me please." Carlisle said and I looked moderately surprised as I followed him. The rest of the family followed as well to watch. We walked to a clearing where there wasn't anything for me to use telekinesis on. I sighed, starting to feel nervous.

"Carlisle, how about if we both teach her? Because there may be a time when she's on her own against more than one opponent." Edward said, stepping forward.

"Edward, if she's on her own against more than one opponent, she won't win. You know that." Carlisle said.

"I know, but sometimes even we can't get there in time to prevent them killing her if she doesn't learn to fight back." Edward replied and Carlisle nodded.

"We all realise this Edward, but remember we need to be realistic. None of us can survive more than one opponent if they're trying their level best to kill us. Not even I can." He said.

"But its better to at least try, though, don't you say Carlisle?" Edward replied and Carlisle nodded.

"You have a point there Edward." He sighed. "Alright, but first I'm going to teach her when it comes to a one-on-one fight. And _then_ we can teach her how to fight back against more than one." He said and Edward nodded, backing off slightly, but still watching us intently.

Carlisle taught me how speed and strength is the best way to fight back if I'm unable to use my abilities for any reason.

"Now just remember, Kristen, that the only known way to kill a vampire is to tear them into hundreds of pieces and burn the remains. There isn't any other known way to kill a vampire." He told me and I nodded. "Now, before we practise, we need to establish that during practise, no one is to hurt anyone else. All of us have different fighting styles, but all contain the same basic strategy: speed before strength. You will need to figure out yours. You can certainly use your abilities to your advantage, but if you're in a situation that you can't use the abilities, you need to know how to defend yourself. Esme, if you could please come forward so we can demonstrate what I'm talking about." He called to his wife and she stepped forward and I backed off, watching both of them carefully.

Carlisle and Esme stood on either side of the clearing and Carlisle took to the offensive. Esme countered his attack by running around him and as he turned around to face her, she leapt at him and pinned him to the ground, with her teeth at his throat. Laughing, she let him get back to his feet and walked back to join the watching audience.

"Well there you go Kristen." He said, laughing as he brushed himself off. "As you could see, we both used the same basic strategy, regardless of the difference in fighting style. You and I are going to practise so we can improve your fighting skill, so you'll at least stand a chance against Emmett."

"Alright." I said, breathing deeply to control the nervousness that I was feeling. I stepped further into the clearing – towards Carlisle – and stopped, both of us assuming defensive positions.

"Okay, now first I want you to start on the offensive, and I'll show you how I counter attacks." He said and I nodded. I leapt at him, my teeth bared, and he dodged to the side, but I quickly manoeuvred and leapt again at him, this time not giving him enough time to counter my attack. Instead, he turned tail and ran at top speed around the clearing, with me on his heels, before he suddenly stopped and leapt into a tree and, before I even had time to register in my mind what he'd done, jumped down and landed next to me, but pinning me against a tree with his teeth at my throat. He allowed me to regain my balance, backing off a little bit.

"I see what you mean Carlisle." I said and he smiled.

"Good. Now, I'm going to take to the offensive this time to allow you to figure out your way of countering attacks. You were very good when you were on the offensive, and that will certainly help, but now you need to figure out the way that you will counter another vampire's attacks. Are you ready?" he asked me and I nodded, walking back towards the onlookers, turning to face Carlisle and assuming a defensive position. He leapt at me and I ran around him and into the centre of the clearing, where I leapt over him as he ran at me, causing him to have to side-step a tree, before running at me again. I quickly leapt at a tree and, putting my strength into it, I pushed off it, flying through the air straight at him and knocking him to the ground, pinning him with my teeth at his throat. We both laughed as I allowed him to get back up and turned to the rest of the family, who were cheering at the performance.

"Well done Kristen!" Emmett yelled, clapping. "I think I've finally met my match."

I laughed as I joined them.

"I just let instinct take over, so it really didn't feel like much." I said.

"Regardless, you did very well. I wasn't even going easy on you, so I'm pretty impressed." Carlisle said to me as he joined us. "I think most vampires will have a hard time defeating you. Especially if you use your surroundings to your advantage as much as you did today. I'm over three hundred years old, and this is the first time I've seen a newborn with the same natural skill at fighting as you have now. And that's definitely saying something." He added, smiling.

"Do you feel ready to try your luck against two vampires, now that you've established your fighting skill against one?" Edward asked me and I took a deep breath.

"Bring it on." I replied and both he and Carlisle laughed as we walked back into the clearing. The three of us assumed defensive positions and Carlisle leapt at me first. I quickly manoeuvred out of the way, running into the centre of the clearing, just as Edward came at me. With two vampires coming at me at the same time, one from each side, I quickly leapt into a tree, causing both of them to collide with each other. They fell to the ground, laughing, as I jumped back down and picked Edward up and threw him across the clearing, before doing the same to Carlisle. Edward easily side-stepped Carlisle and leapt at me, pinning me to the ground, just as Carlisle appeared next to us.

"We win." He whispered into my ear as they allowed me to get back to my feet.

"Okay, that was hard." I admitted, laughing along with them.

"You did very well there, too. You almost made me believe that you would be able to fight us both off for a second there. You got very close to becoming the first vampire to fight off two other vampires at once." Edward told me, patting my back as he approached Bella, who was looking slightly concerned.

"Well, it didn't help having a mind-reader on the opposing team. It just meant I had to act on impulse, rather than thinking about it. Because you'd have been able to read my thoughts and counter my attacks." I told him, laughing.

"Um guys, we have a visitor." Alice suddenly piped up and we all looked at her and ran back to the house to greet whoever it was at the door. Carlisle opened the door to reveal a vampire with red eyes, very pale skin and shoulder-length black hair which was tied back in a loose ponytail.

"How can we help you?" Carlisle said coldly to the vampire. I jumped at his icy tone.

"Don't worry about it Kristen. That vampire was one of the Volturi witnesses. Carlisle doesn't trust the Volturi or most of their witnesses anymore." Edward told me softly.

"Um hello Dr. Cullen." The stranger said nervously, obviously knowing there were more vampires inside the house. "Although I was one of the Volturi witnesses a year ago, that day I noticed the compassion you Cullens have towards humans, and it fascinated me. I-I know that you don't trust me, but if you could please try and hear me out. I spent one year thinking about that and thought that if you could please consider teaching me your way."

Carlisle looked moderately surprised for a moment, before Edward turned to Bella.

"Bella, get Renesmee out of the room; Carlisle's bringing the new vampire in." he whispered to her and she nodded, holding her daughter's hand and leading her out of the house, before picking her up and running out of sight.

"Okay, follow me please." Carlisle said, leading the vampire into the house and towards the dining table. The two men sat at the table, talking.

"My name is Derryn by the way." The stranger told Carlisle, holding his hand out. Carlisle took it and shook it once.

"I'm Carlisle, and this is my family." He replied.

"So how did you first start being like this towards humans?" Derryn asked Carlisle, nervously.

"I've been like this since I was turned, and I taught my family to be the same." Carlisle replied.

"So you ignore any urge to attack humans?" Derryn asked, obviously curious.

"Yes. It takes a while to get the thirst under control, but it can be done." Carlisle replied.

"So you hunt animals instead?"

"Exactly that."

"Interesting. That's where the golden eyes come from, then?"

"The very same."

"I noticed that you seem to blend with the humans quite well, too. It would obviously be difficult to ignore the scents, though, wouldn't it?"

"It's not too difficult once you learn to control your thirst. And there's one of us who doesn't find human blood at all appealing." Carlisle said and Derryn looked around at the rest of us, his eyes resting for a moment on me.

"He thinks you're beautiful." Edward whispered to me, obviously struggling not to laugh.

"What's so funny about that, Edward?" I whispered to him incredulously.

"Nothing other than the fact that I know you like him." He whispered to me. At that point, if I were able to blush, I'd have done so.

"So?" I asked him. "What does it matter?"

"It matters that you're a Cullen now, and he was a Volturi witness…Carlisle doesn't trust the Volturi any more." he replied, the laugh breaking through. I sighed, shaking my head slowly.

"You're impossible Edward." I muttered, turning away from him. But Edward was right; I had somehow found myself attracted to the vampire sitting across from Carlisle at the dining table.

Eventually, Derryn had to leave, but just before he did leave, he asked if he were able to talk to me for a second. I approached him nervously, while the other Cullens watched suspiciously from the background.

"May I have the honour of knowing your name?" he asked me softly.

"Um, Kristen. My name is Kristen." I replied.

"It's a beautiful name." he whispered. "It suits you."

"Well thank you." I smiled shyly.

"Would you like to meet again sometime? In the near future?" he asked me in a soft whisper.

"O-okay. Thank you Derryn." I replied.

"So until we meet again?" he asked.

"Until we meet again." I agreed. He gently lifted my left hand, pressing his lips gently to the back of it, before straightening up again and walking out of the door. I stood rooted to the spot, my breathing shallow as I watched him go.

"Kristen?" Esme asked me softly, placing her hand on my shoulder.

"I'm okay Esme. Thank you for your concern though." I said and she smiled as we walked towards the back door. "Emmett? Shall we actually have our rematch?" I asked Emmett, who ran forward eagerly.

"Cool!" he exclaimed excitedly. "I'll race you to the clearing!" he said, sprinting off. I immediately followed, catching up to him in almost no time flat. I passed him easily and stopped in the clearing, only needing to wait another second for him to arrive, looking shocked.

"I beat you here, Emmett!" I laughed and he smiled evilly at me, shaking his head slowly.

"That's alright; you're not going to beat me in this duel!" he laughed, but I shook my head, holding my hand out to him, palm upwards and curling my fingers over my palm once, beckoning him to approach me. We circled each other for several seconds, when he suddenly lunged at me and I ran around him, so that I was behind him. "No special abilities!" he reminded me, but I just laughed. He ran at me, but I jumped over him, like I did Carlisle, and he actually ran directly into the tree at the other end of the clearing. The tree collapsed under his combined weight, strength and speed and he had to pick himself up off the ground before he could rejoin the fight. By which time, I'd already jumped into a tree and hid among the branches, ready to attack. I jumped down onto his shoulders, the force of my jump knocking his legs out from underneath him and we fell to the ground, laughing as I got up quickly, pinning him, with my teeth at his throat.

"I win." I laughed as I helped him up.

"Ah well, at least you didn't use your new ability, Kristen." He laughed as the family joined us in the clearing, all of them laughing and cheering.

"Well done Kristen. You're a natural." Jasper said as we all headed back to the house.


	6. Chapter 5: First Date

_Chapter 5: First Date_

Derryn came to pick me up from my house, where Alice had managed to convince me to dress in something that she'd picked out. I sighed, as I walked downstairs, where I saw Derryn sitting in the living room, looking slightly uncomfortable. As I descended the stairs, everyone stood up and I saw Derryn's jaw drop as he looked me up and down.

"Wow…" he whispered as he approached me. "You look beautiful." He said to me and I smiled at him.

"You, Derryn, had better look after her. Believe me, you'll regret it if you don't look after her." Carlisle told him firmly.

"Don't worry Carlisle, I promise I'll look after her." He said reassuringly to him, but for some reason, he didn't seem to buy it.

"Carlisle, please just trust him at least for tonight." I told Carlisle, sighing.

"I am Kristen, if I'm allowing this to happen. But I want her back by midnight, Derryn, so you'd better make it quick." Carlisle told him and he nodded. "If she isn't back by that time, you're not going to see her again."

"She'll be back by midnight, I promise." Derryn promised.

"And she'd better be uninjured."

"Carlisle, I do know how to look after myself." I told him and he sighed.

"Kristen, I do not doubt your ability to look after yourself, but I have this strange feeling that something is going to go wrong tonight, and I don't want it to involve you." He told me.

"Carlisle, she'll be fine. Trust me, I can see it." Alice said and Carlisle sighed.

"Alright, I'll see you both at midnight." He said as Derryn and I walked out of the door.

"Where are we going Derryn?" I asked him softly as we walked.

"I thought that we might go see a movie then hunt…your food." He said and I laughed. "I mean it Kristen, since we last met, since my talk with Carlisle, I've been trying to ignore the scent of human blood, and I've only been hunting animals. Believe me, it hasn't been easy, but I think I'm getting there." He explained and I smiled at him.

"By the way, there's something I'm confused about. I've only been a vampire for just over a month, so I'm not sure why Carlisle doesn't trust the Volturi. I was told you were one of their witnesses, but I'm not sure what you were supposed to be witnessing." I explained to him and he sighed.

"Well, the Cullens apparently created an 'Immortal Child', which actually turned out to be a half-vampire. The Volturi thought that the child was turned by a vampire, namely the Cullens, but on closer inspection it turned out that one of the Cullens had gotten closer to a human than any of us have ever dared…close enough to get her pregnant. I don't know how she managed to survive, but apparently she was dying as she was giving birth to the baby, so she was turned…or at least that's the story I was told. Ever since then, the Volturi have been trying to find a chance to fight the Cullens…to end their line. I don't agree with it, and I left. I had to talk to Carlisle and warn him, but I needed to gain his trust first. I hadn't anticipated that I'd meet you and it would turn out like this." He finished with a small smile, which I returned. My mind was racing…Carlisle and the others, in danger. Derryn was right; they had to be warned. If I'd had blood flowing through my veins, it'd have drained from my face, and Derryn seemed to notice my expression, because he placed his hand in mine, looking concerned.

"Are you alright Kristen?" he asked me and I took a deep breath, nodding. "Are you worried about your family?" he asked me in an undertone.

"A bit, yeah." I replied.

"Don't worry, I'll do what I can to protect you and your family, but as I said, I can't make any promises that it will all turn out alright." He said softly to me and I nodded.

"Alright, thank you. Shall we go or should we just stand here talking in front of my house until midnight?" I asked him jokily and he smiled at me.

"We'll go and watch that movie. Do you know what the time is?" he asked me and I looked at the watch Carlisle had given me to keep track of the time.

"It's quarter to nine." I replied and he nodded, leading me to where he'd parked his car. He helped me into the passenger's seat before going round to the driver's seat and starting the engine. We drove in silence into the township of Forks, where he turned right and drove us to the cinema. We paid for the ticket and sat down in the back row, looking at the screen but not really seeing it. I sighed, turning my head to look at Derryn, who was already looking at me.

"You really are beautiful." He said softly to me and I smiled.

"Thank you." I replied in a whisper, turning back to face the screen, embarrassed slightly. I was glad he couldn't read minds like Edward.

When the movie finished, we got back into the car, driving to the forest on the other side of Forks to the Cullen household. Looking at Derryn, I saw him look thoughtful.

"Wouldn't it be easier to go to the forest around my place, Derryn?" I asked him softly.

"I thought that we'd hunt here, because I thought that you'd get sick of the forest you usually hunt in." he replied and I smiled at him.

"Alright." I said as he stopped the car and we got out.

"What time is it?" he asked. I checked the watch.

"Eleven-thirty. We have half an hour." I replied and he nodded.

"Alright. We'd better get moving then." He said and I nodded. We walked into the forest and he ran off after what sounded like a deer. I used my excellent hearing to locate another deer and I willed it into my arms, draining it of its blood, when a rustling sound to my right startled me. I sniffed the air but I couldn't recognise the scent as that of anyone I knew. It was definitely the scent of a vampire, but I didn't know them. I assumed a defensive position, ready to fight off whoever it was and a second later, out came a vampire with short light brown hair and red eyes. Looking at him made him seem much more familiar to me. I'd seen him somewhere before, but I couldn't put my finger on it…and then it hit me. This vampire had been the one that turned me – the one that bit me just over a month ago. He was looking gleeful at having found me again.

"Ahhh Kristen. It's so good to see you again." He said with an English accent, taking a step towards me. I snarled as he approached, keeping my defensive position. "You want to fight? Alright; I was just going to suggest one." He said and I snarled again. He lunged at me, but I side-stepped and ran around him. He ran at me, and I jumped over him, causing him to run into a tree and have to pick himself up off the fallen tree, by which time I'd leapt into a tree, thinking hard _'save me Edward! Tell the other Cullens that I need help! Another vampire is attacking me!'_ and hoping against hope that Edward would be listening to my thoughts. With that, I willed Derryn next to me to help me. He landed on the branch next to me, looking shocked and confused.

"I'll explain later Derryn. Right now, I really need your help." I said, realising that if I could bring Derryn, that I'd be able to possibly bring one of the Cullens.

"What's going on Kristen? You look scared." Derryn asked me.

"Quiet down…the vampire that turned me is still after my life and I really need you to help me." I whispered, pointing downwards.

"He didn't hurt you tonight?" Derryn asked me, holding my head in his hands, making me look at him.

"No, but I have a feeling he might. I have to get at least Carlisle here to help as well. Otherwise we won't be allowed to see each other again because we're late." I said and he nodded, jumping down from the tree to confront the vampire. I willed Carlisle onto the branch, hoping my telekinesis would work across such a distance. Next thing I knew, he was sitting on the branch, looking worriedly at me.

"What is it Kristen, and why are we sitting on this branch?" he asked me and I sighed, pointing downwards to where Derryn was fighting the vampire. Carlisle looked shocked. "Which one attacked which?" he asked me.

"I was attacked by the brown-haired vampire…he was the one who turned me, and Derryn attacked him for attacking me." I explained.

"Alright, do you want me to get the rest here to help?" Carlisle asked me.

"Well, only if it seems as though we're being overcome. Otherwise, I'm sure we could take him." I replied, jumping down from the branch, Carlisle following. We both attacked the vampire, tearing chunks out of his already badly injured body. However, the next thing I knew, a group of vampires appeared, obviously working together with the first. One of them grabbed me by the throat with his hand, shouting at the others to stop. One of his comrades walked forward, speaking, while the vampire that held me held his teeth to my throat. I saw Carlisle and Derryn look around for ways to get me out of there.

"You make one move, and this girl dies." He said with a slight German accent, indicating me. I struggled against the strong arms around me, but the teeth touched my throat, ready to sink in if I struggle again. I looked at Carlisle and Derryn. Both of them were unable to move, or I would be killed.

'_Edward, I need you and the rest of the Cullens here now! I'm being held by a vampire that will kill me if Carlisle or Derryn move an inch. Please! You have to help me!'_ I thought hard, hoping Edward would hear me.

"That's quite enough boys." Came a voice as Edward came strolling into the clearing, the other Cullens behind him. I smiled inwardly, thankful that he heard my thoughts. All of the Cullens attacked the strange vampires, Emmett attacking my captor, tearing chunks out of his body. Regaining my balance, I helped the Cullens and Derryn fight off the vampires, tearing large chunks out of a huge male vampire.

Once all the vampires were in as many pieces as was possible, we gathered their remains and burned them.

"Are you alright, Kristen?" Derryn asked me softly, his hands on my shoulders.

"I'm okay, Derryn. I promise." I replied, but he looked unconvinced. Just then, I saw the brown-haired vampire that had turned me peek out from behind a tree, drawing his finger across his throat and pointing at me and then at Derryn. He then held his finger to his lips as he withdrew. I turned around to get Derryn's hands off my shoulders, looking back at him, smiling.

"Derryn, trust me. I'm fine." I told him and he sighed, nodding.

"Alright." He replied, walking towards me again. "Should we go on another date…say…next Monday, at 7?" he asked me and I sighed, agreeing.

"Okay, but we'll have to ask Carlisle about it though. You've seen how protective he seems to be over me. I'm not even sure why he's so protective." I said. "Carlisle!" I called out and Carlisle ran over, looking concerned.

"What's wrong?" he asked me.

"Carlisle, is it okay if Derryn and I go on another date next Monday at 7pm?" I asked him and he laughed, smiling at me.

"Kristen, it's your life. From what I saw tonight, he is an honourable man, so you make your own decisions. To the humans I'm your father, but not as vampires." He said and Derryn and I laughed.

"Okay, I wasn't sure if you'd mind." I replied, smiling. "And in that case, Derryn, I'll see you next Monday." I added to Derryn and he grinned broadly.

"I'll pick you up." he said, preparing to run back to his car to drive home. "Oh, and don't forget to warn them, Kristen." He added to me, much more seriously.

"I won't forget Derryn." I promised, waving as he ran off.

"Warn who about what?" Carlisle asked me, looking confused.

"I'll tell you all at home." I replied and he nodded as we ran back home.


	7. Chapter 6: Warnings

_Chapter 6: Warnings_

"Kristen, what was it you wanted to warn us about?" came Carlisle's voice and I sighed. We were back at home, all the Cullens sitting around Esme's dining table.

"Guys, the Volturi are gaining power to defeat you once and for all. In other words, they're preparing to kill us. All of us, including Renesmee." I told them. They all gasped in horror.

"But they were scared of us! They're too scared to fight us!" Edward said. "I could read it in all of their minds."

"Edward, it's a possibility that they could've thought that because they knew you would read their thoughts. They thought that to fool all of us." Carlisle said. "But Kristen, how did you get this information?" he added to me. I sighed again, worry for my family taking over.

"Um Derryn told me while I was out with him earlier on tonight." I replied but Carlisle looked confused.

"Then why didn't he tell me that directly?" he asked me.

"He wanted to talk to you, but first he needed to gain your trust, so that you believed him. But he didn't anticipate that he would meet me." I replied and he nodded understandingly.

"Alright. Does he plan on helping us to get the threat diminished?" he asked me.

"Yes he does. He said that, although it may not be of very much help, he's going to try and help us get rid of the Volturi."

"The Volturi are going to attack this coming Friday." Alice said, her eyes blank.

"What does she mean?" I asked Jasper softly, looking at Alice.

"She's having a vision. When her eyes go blank and she stares straight ahead, she's having a vision." He explained and I nodded, looking at him, worry etched into my face.

"If they're attacking Friday, we need to prepare…and quickly. Because Friday is only three days away." Carlisle said.

"Well, it's a good thing that we taught Kristen how to fight earlier this month." Edward said, his arm around Bella's waist, while the latter held Renesmee.

"Wait, they've changed their minds. They were originally going to attack on Friday, but they've changed it to tomorrow evening." Alice said, her eyes still blank.

"S***!" Carlisle swore loudly and we all looked at him, astonished that he could even come up with such a word.

"Gee Carlisle, what was with the swearing? We've never heard you even utter a word like that in all the time we've been vampires." Emmett said and Carlisle shot him a quick glare.

"Alright, if they're attacking tomorrow evening, we need to get ourselves prepared. Kristen, if you get separated from us for any reason at all, I want you to bring us to you by telekinesis. In fact, if you're on your own against a group, you'll have to bring more than just one of us. Okay? We'll have to practice that tonight and tomorrow morning, before they attack. Alice, you're to warn us of any change in their mind, and Edward, if you could try and read Aro's mind over this distance, I'd greatly appreciate it." He said and we all nodded. "Good. Let's go. We need to be prepared tomorrow evening. Kristen, can you attempt to bring Derryn here so we can let him know of the Volturi's change of plan?" he asked me and I nodded as we all walked out into the forest, where I imagined Derryn next to me and next thing I knew, he was standing next to me, looking astonished.

"Okay Kristen, how do you keep making me appear everywhere?" he asked me and I smiled slightly.

"I'm telekinetic. I've recently discovered that I can also pull other vampires, rather than just animals and objects." I replied and he raised his eyebrows briefly.

"Okay. No wonder I keep appearing where I didn't think I'd go." He laughed, before seeing all our grim expressions. "What's wrong? You heard about the Volturi trying to wipe out your line, then?" he asked us. I sighed, turning to him.

"Derryn, we recently figured out that they're planning on attacking us tomorrow evening, hoping to catch us by surprise." I replied and he looked horrified.

"S***!" he swore, placing his hand on my shoulder. "Well, we'd better get ourselves prepared." He said, turning to Carlisle.

"We were just about to, but we needed you here to help us. You know the Volturi better than all of us put together, which will work to our advantage." Carlisle said and Derryn nodded.

"Glad to help Carlisle." He said.

"Okay, first things first. Kristen, we need you to try and pull us towards you, two at a time." Carlisle said, turning to me. "We're going to stand about 20 metres away, and I want you to try to pull two of us towards you. This is in case you're separated from us and facing a group, which is where you will definitely need our help in order to survive. Oh, hello Jacob." He said and suddenly a horrible scent reached my nose as an extremely large orangey-coloured wolf came out of the trees. It looked at Derryn and me for a second, before it transformed into a teenage human boy. He was very tall, with long black hair, and tanned skin.

"Jacob!" came a shout as Renesmee came running from Bella towards this human that the Cullens obviously seemed to know. The human scooped the child up into his arms, holding her to his chest.

"Who's he?" I asked Edward softly, looking at the human.

"Jacob. Apparently he's going to wait until Renesmee's an adult before he makes a move on her." He replied in a whisper and I looked revolted.

'_Wouldn't he be a bit old for her?'_ I thought to myself.

"That's what I would normally think, but he doesn't seem to age at all, so we can pretend that he's a vampire." He agreed, grinning.

"Besides his beating heart." I added and we both laughed.

"Very true." He laughed as Carlisle cleared his throat and we all looked at him.

"Guys, we're all pleased to see Jacob again, I'm sure, but we need to focus. Remember, the Volturi are attacking tomorrow evening. If necessary we can pretend they're going to attack tonight." He said and we all sighed.

"Alright Carlisle, we're ready to begin now." Edward said as the human named Jacob looked up at Carlisle.

"Wait, what do you mean the Volturi are attacking tomorrow evening? I thought you said they were afraid of you?" he said in a moderately deep, slightly husky voice.

"That's what we thought too, but we've had a warning from one of their ex-witnesses that they're planning an attack against us tomorrow evening, so we need to prepare ourselves for this attack." Edward said and Jacob held Renesmee closer to him than before.

"If you and Bella want, I can look after Renesmee until you've finished fighting, because that way the Volturi wouldn't be able to kill her without having to find us and kill me first." Jacob said and Edward and Bella both smiled at him.

"And they wouldn't be able to get to you without killing us all first." Carlisle said and he smiled at him.

"We would greatly appreciate your help Jacob." Esme said, smiling at him. Edward and Bella hugged their daughter one last time before Jacob transformed into the wolf and ran off into the distance with Renesmee on his back.


	8. 7: Getting Some Well Needed Practise

_Chapter 7: Getting Some Well-Needed Practise_

We spent the next six hours on end practising for the Volturi's attack, and eventually, at sunrise on the day of the fight, I'd finally managed to pull six of the Cullens towards me.

"Well done Kristen!" Carlisle said, obviously pleased at my progress. "Now try again and see if you can pull seven of us." He said. I sighed, taking deep breaths and concentrating hard, and next thing I knew, Carlisle, Esme, Bella, Edward, Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett were all next to me. I looked around at them all, shocked at what I'd done. Instead of just managing to pull seven of them, I'd managed to pull all eight. The only one I didn't manage to pull towards me with the others was Derryn.

"Very good Kristen!" Edward said as the Cullens all spread out.

"Yes, well done." Carlisle agreed, smiling at me, and although his smile was strained slightly, it was genuine. "Now that you have the ability to pull most of us towards you, now we can see how you fare against three of us pretending to kill you. You need to bring some of those not attacking you to you, and fight back, or you will be beaten easily." I gulped, nodding. "Okay, Derryn, Rosalie and Jasper. You three are going to be pretending to be trying to kill her. Pretend; don't actually hurt her." He added and the three vampires that he mentioned laughed.

"Don't worry Carlisle, we won't hurt her." Rosalie reassured him.

"Alright. And Kristen, try and discover more of your fighting ability in this exercise as well, because it will definitely come in handy." Carlisle told me and I nodded at him as Rosalie, Derryn, Jasper and I walked into the large clearing we were using and the three of them walked to the other end. They lunged at me and I dodged them all, running around the clearing and jumping into a tree, calling Carlisle and Bella to me. Together, we fought back, but Rosalie and Jasper managed to separate me from the vampires I'd called, cornering me. I fought back as hard as I could, wishing they would just be thrown backwards, and to my astonishment, they did fly backwards, hitting trees, which collapsed under them. I ran to Rosalie, bending over her.

"You're out." I whispered to her, before running to Jasper, who was getting to his feet. We circled each other, and he lunged at me, and I ran around him, leaping over him as he ran at me again. He side-stepped a tree and came running back at me, and I leapt at him, knocking him off his feet, but he pushed me off him and knelt next to me, his teeth bared, but at that point, Carlisle appeared and grabbed his shoulder, throwing him backwards into another tree, where Bella ran over to him, whispering something to him and he stood up, walking away to join the rest of the family, where Rosalie and Derryn were waiting. Bella, Carlisle and I joined them.

"Well done Kristen." Carlisle said as we joined the rest of the family. "Well done all of you. We all had to step up our game a bit there, and you all did it nicely. This will at least give us a fighting chance against the Volturi." He praised us all and we glowed.

"You weren't too bad yourself, there Carlisle." Emmett said and Carlisle smiled at him.

"And Kristen, that ability to throw them backwards from you will definitely come in handy; I can guarantee that." Carlisle added to me and I smiled.

"Thank you Carlisle." I said, just as Alice gasped in horror, and Edward, reading her mind, did the same.

"No!" he exclaimed, his hand over his mouth.

"What is it Edward? What's wrong Alice?" we asked them, concerned.

"They're coming now. They're in the state, and they're following Jacob and Renesmee's scents." Edward said and Bella gasped, shaking her head. "They're going to kill her first, before coming for us." He continued and we all ran towards Forks, to warn Jacob about the threat. Sprinting at top speed to the beach, La Push, which was where Jacob lived, we followed his scent to his house. He was there, with Renesmee, and he looked worried to see all of us there at once.

"What's going on guys?" he asked us, Renesmee in his arms.

"Mummy? Daddy? What's going on?" Renesmee asked her parents and they sighed sadly, hugging her.

"Nessie, you need to stay with Jacob at all times okay?" Edward said and she nodded.

"Nessie?" I asked Carlisle in a whisper.

"Our nickname for her. Jacob gave her the nickname when she was born and it stuck." He whispered in reply.

"Oh, alright." I said, looking back at Jacob, Renesmee, Edward and Bella, who were talking.

"…So you need to get her as far from here as possible." Edward was saying.

"No, Edward, the safest bet would actually be to bring them with us, because that way we can have all the Volturi and we can protect them. Bella can use her ability to shield all of us." Carlisle said and Edward hesitated, before nodding.

"Alright. Come with us guys." Edward said and Jacob nodded, transforming into a wolf, while Bella held her daughter.

"Let's go." Carlisle said and we all ran back to the clearing, where we told Jacob to stay behind with Renesmee, and only fight if directly threatened. He nodded, just as we heard the footsteps of several running vampires and all the vampires stood in a line in front of Jacob and Renesmee, standing in defensive positions, snarling. A group of vampires stopped in front of us, smiling.

"Ah, hello again Carlisle. It's good to see you again." A vampire, obviously the leader, with black hair down to his shoulders and a very slim figure said, walking slowly towards Carlisle.

"Unfortunately, Aro, I cannot return the feeling." Carlisle said coldly to the vampire.

"Are they the Volturi?" I asked Derryn, who nodded.

"Do you have the child?" Aro asked and Carlisle held his breath for a second before answering.

"No. We no longer have the child with us." He answered, but Aro shook his head.

"Jane," he said and a much younger female vampire walked over. She showed no sign of doing anything, but Carlisle yelled in pain and we all looked at him concernedly. Aro's eyes were wild; it seemed there was no stopping him, but Carlisle suddenly stopped yelling. I looked around, but Alice told me not to worry.

"Bella has the ability to shield our minds. Jane's attack is mental. She makes the person think that they're in agonising pain, but there's no physical damage done." She explained to me and I nodded.

"Alright." I replied, sighing.

"You leave us no choice, Carlisle, but to end your line, including the child." Aro said and we stood our ground, tensing in preparation for the sudden attack.

"No Aro. I do not agree with this fight. You're being too rash. How can you still not believe that the child is a half-vampire? You read her mind; you heard her heart, smelt the blood flowing through her veins. How can you still think that she was a human girl that they turned?" another vampire said, stepping forward and holding onto Aro's arm, preventing him from lunging forward.

"Markus, why is it you don't trust my judgement?" Aro asked this vampire. The vampire called Markus shook his head, not loosening his grip on Aro's arm. "Trust me Markus, I know what I'm doing. Too many humans know about them, and they must be put to death. Why won't you agree with me?" Aro added, but still Markus shook his head, his white hair blowing out behind him in the light westerly wind. "Then you leave me no choice." He said, using his free hand to break Markus' grip. He lunged at us while Markus stood back. The fight had started.

The Cullens all broke ranks, fighting hard against whichever vampire happened to be near them, trying to keep them away from Jacob and Renesmee.

I was busy against Aro, who had decided to come after me. He lunged towards me, but I dodged him, but he was very quick, too quick for me to think. I was so busy dodging and weaving to avoid his attacks that I couldn't get any attacks in. So, instead, I called Derryn and Carlisle by telekinesis. They appeared next to me and fought Aro with me. Now we seemed evenly matched, even if it was Aro against three other vampires.


	9. Chapter 8: Disaster Strikes

**AN: **Jacob Black fans; you will not like this chapter. You may criticise me for this, but I'm just doing this for the sake of doing it.

_Chapter 8: Disaster Strikes_

We'd been fighting non-stop against the Volturi for several hours, and I was now fighting a boy that looked about the same age as Jane, when I suddenly heard Jacob yell, and looking over, I saw Aro running towards him. I knew what he was doing, and I ran over, shouting as I did.

"Carlisle! Bella! Edward! It's Aro!" I shouted into the battle and Carlisle, Edward and Bella stopped fighting immediately and ran over. Aro was running towards Renesmee to kill her, and I was desperate to protect the little girl's life for as long as I could. Jacob transformed into a wolf and started attacking Aro, but he bit the wolf's shoulder and chest, before Edward and Bella attacked him and Carlisle knelt by Jacob's barely breathing form. Jacob was back in his human form now, and was obviously in pain. I knelt next to them, helping Carlisle, who was trying to calm the injured boy down before he tried to cure him.

"Is he okay Carlisle?" I asked him softly, but Carlisle shook his head.

"He was bitten. If we don't get the venom out of his system, he'll die. Shape shifters like him get poisoned from vampire venom." He said to me as he tried to stop the blood flow. "And if we don't staunch the bleeding, he'll die." He added as he bent over the injured boy, pressing firmly but gently on his shoulder. "Kristen, I really need you to press on his chest wound. That wound requires the most attention as it's directly above his heart." He said.

"Do you want me to suck out the venom from the wound to his chest?" I asked.

"No, because of your possible intolerance to human blood." He replied, but Jacob's heart rate was weakening, and Carlisle knew it. "We really need this done quick. There's still a chance for his survival, but we need to work fast." He said hurriedly.

"I'm going to risk having a reaction to the blood, because if I don't, you'll have a lot on your plate." I said, uncovering Jacob's chest wound and pressing my mouth to it, sucking blood out of the wound while Carlisle, obviously not happy, kept the pressure to Jacob's shoulder.

Eventually, Carlisle grabbed the collar of my shirt, pulling me backwards off Jacob.

"Kristen, his blood was clean. You were killing him." He said and I looked guilty, apologising.

"Sorry. I wasn't sure what the signs of his blood being clean were." I replied, applying pressure to the chest wound again.

We'd been sitting like that for ten minutes, when Jacob's heart suddenly stopped.

"S***!" Carlisle swore again, softly this time, and I moved to the side as he attempted to resuscitate Jacob. I watched him for a moment, before rejoining the battle. I ran towards Derryn and fought next to him, bringing down two Volturi members and throwing their remains in a fire that was burning in a corner of the clearing. Carlisle joined us shortly afterwards, looking furious as he fought Aro. He seemed to have stepped up his game quite a lot, which told me that Jacob was dead. Edward and Bella realised this too and started fighting harder than ever against Aro.

"ARO!" screamed a voice angrily and we all stopped fighting and looked to the source of the voice. Jane was kneeling next to Jacob, her hand on his chest, and looking furiously at Aro. "YOU PROMISED YOU WOULN'T HURT ANYONE OTHER THAN THE CULLENS! YOU LIED TO ME!" she shouted at him and Aro took a step towards her.

"You agreed to help me rid the world of the Cullens, regardless if it meant killing those that defended them. He simply defended the child." Aro replied calmly.

"He did nothing wrong, and you killed him!" Jane shrieked, standing up, her hands balled into fists at her sides. I was surprised that she was so worried about Jacob's death. "I only agreed to join in with this fight because you promised that you wouldn't hurt anyone else who may have been there! Regardless if they were defending the Cullens or watching, you promised you wouldn't hurt anyone except for the Cullens, but you killed a human boy!"

"Jane, he defended the child! I wouldn't have been able to get to the child if I didn't kill him first!" Aro shouted back. "Just listen to me Jane and do as I say! You're in no position to be criticising me! When we get back to Italy, you'll be punished severely for standing up to me!"

"Aro don't you dare threaten Jane like that in front of me! She did only agree to participate in this fight if you promised not to hurt anyone else who might be there! And you did promise, as well! Or was that just to gain her trust!? Did you just pretend to promise, just so you could satisfy your urge to kill!? Is that why this fight had even started in the first place; so you could have an excuse to kill them!?" Markus shouted at Aro, who rounded on him.

"The both of you dare to defy me? I wouldn't consider yourselves Volturi anymore, if I were you; you've earned the right to be killed by the Volturi!" Aro said, lunging at them, but Jane and Markus stood their ground. Jane used her mental attack to immobilise him and she and Markus began tearing chunks out of his twitching body.

"Come on Kristen; time to finish this fight once and for all." Carlisle said to me and I nodded as I ran at another member of the Volturi, when I began to feel dizzy. Derryn was next to me and he held me as I felt as though my skin were dissolving.

"Carlisle!" I vaguely heard him shout to Carlisle. "Something's wrong with Kristen!"

The last thing I saw before I blacked out was Carlisle lifting me into his arms and running me to where Jacob's corpse lay.


	10. Chapter 9: The Aftermath

_Chapter 9: The Aftermath_

"Will she be alright Carlisle?"

"She'll be fine, after Jacob was kind enough to lend us a small amount of his blood for me to deliver a cure to her reaction. However, she will have a few scars."

"It's just lucky that she didn't see the end of the fight."

"You're right; Derryn's death will affect her deeply."

The voices sounded so close, yet they sounded so far at the same time. I slowly opened my eyes, blinking a few times to get a clear view of my surroundings.

I was lying on the daybed in my room, Carlisle, Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett next to my bed, all looking at me concernedly.

"Are you alright Kristen?" Carlisle asked me softly, his hand on my shoulder. I noticed they were all looking sympathetic.

"Y-yes. Where's Derryn?" I asked, looking around the room for the man I loved. Alice sighed, moving slightly closer to me.

"You're not going to like this Kristen. Shortly after you lost consciousness, Derryn was forced backwards, and fell into the fire. I'm sorry but he died." She said sympathetically, looking sorrowful.

I held my breath for what felt like ages. I was in shock that Derryn was dead. I couldn't believe my ears. He was always so happy; he lived life to the fullest, never thinking that it would ever come to an end. Carlisle sighed sadly, standing up.

"Come on guys; let's give her some time to deal with the grief of losing a loved one." He said and Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett walked out of the room, Carlisle stopping in the doorway on his way out. "I'm sorry about your loss Kristen. You can have some time to yourself to think things through and deal with the loss. Come down when you're ready. And let me know if you'd like any help to deal with the loss." He said softly, before walking out and closing the door behind him.

I spent two whole months in my room, trying to get over the shock of Derryn's death. Eventually, one rainy Sunday afternoon, I decided I'd better at least talk to my family, to find out what had happened after I'd lost consciousness in the fight. I sighed, walking out of my room, stopping on the landing.

'_Should I even be doing this? What if they tell me and I don't want to hear any more?'_ I thought to myself, and making up my mind to go downstairs and face my fear. I sighed again, walking slowly downstairs and into the living room. Carlisle and Esme were sitting at the dining table, speaking softly in undertones, while Alice sat on the couch with Jasper, watching television. The rest of the family were missing, either hunting or doing their own thing. I guessed Edward and Bella would be comforting their daughter after Jacob's death. I sighed again, walking towards the dining table. Carlisle and Esme looked up as I approached.

"Are you alright Kristen?" Esme asked me softly, looking concerned and sympathetic. "Come and sit down." She added, offering me a seat. I took it silently, breathing deeply.

"How are you coping with what happened?" Carlisle asked me.

"I'm okay. I'm still trying to come to terms with it, but I'm getting there. But there's one thing I need to know, to help me come to terms with…his death." I said. I couldn't even bring myself to say his name, knowing it would cause more pain inside me.

"What's that?" Carlisle said gently to me.

"I need to know exactly what happened after I'd lost consciousness." I said softly to them, bracing myself for the answer.

"Well, for starters, I didn't rejoin the fight, because I was busy looking after you and Jacob." Carlisle said.

"But wasn't Jacob dead?" I asked.

"No. Even vampires make mistakes, and I'd left him for dead after his heart didn't restart after my resuscitation efforts. Renesmee didn't understand why he was lying so still, and while I was looking after you, she bit him where she always bites him – on the chest. When she bit him, his heart started up again and he opened his eyes, before seeing you lying unconscious next to him. He asked me what had happened to you, and when I explained that you'd had a reaction to his blood when trying to suck out the vampire venom that was poisoning him, he offered to help me by using himself as a test dummy. I'd discovered a cure to the reaction you were having to human blood. He told me to use his blood to find a cure for your reaction. I sighed, thinking that if human blood had caused that kind of reaction in your body, the only cure would be if I gave you his blood containing vampire venom. However, it would only have worked if there was more venom than blood." He explained. "It tore me up inside to risk Jacob's death to save your life, but eventually I had no choice. Your skin was dissolving rapidly and I had to work fast. I apologised to Jacob, before biting him. I made sure that I put enough venom into his blood that when I administered it to you it would work, but I wasn't sure if I would be successful. I was taking a huge risk, but it was the only way I could think of to help you. After that, I had to use Jacob's knife to cut his skin so that I could take some of his blood, which was fast becoming irreversibly contaminated with my venom. I made you drink some, before I sucked the venom out of Jacob's blood, hoping that I'd removed enough of it that he would survive. At the moment, he's still on the brink of death, and Edward's keeping an eye on him. As with the fight, Esme knows more than I do about what happened in the fight." He finished and Esme placed her hand briefly on his shoulder, before turning to me.

"Kristen, after you lost consciousness, Derryn fought hard, but was forced backwards, and eventually he fell into the fire. I attempted to get him out, but I was risking falling in myself. I was so close to falling in, that Rosalie had to grab my hand and pull be back. Unfortunately, Derryn died in the fire. After Aro's death, the Volturi were outraged and Markus was killed, Jane shortly afterwards, but we managed to overcome them. The Volturi are all dead now. They were nowhere as strong as we'd given them credit for." She said softly to me and I nodded.

"Thank you for letting me know." I said to both of them.

"You're thirsty, aren't you?" Carlisle asked me. It surprised me that his eyes were black, instead of golden like they usually were. It was the same with Esme. Both hadn't hunted since the fight. I nodded at him and the three of us stood up. "Alice, Jasper, do you want to join us in a hunt?" he called out to Alice and Jasper, who were by our sides in no time flat.

"Let's go." Alice said, and I could see why Carlisle offered for them to join us. Their eyes were black as well, so obviously they hadn't hunted in ages. We ran out of the house and into the forest. The four of them ran off after their own specific animals, and I willed a deer into my arms.

'_This is for you Derryn.'_ I thought to myself, knowing that deer were Derryn's favourite animal to hunt. _'This is to remind you that I love you, even if I won't ever see you again.'_

I breathed in the scent of the deer, before biting its throat and drinking its blood. When I'd finished feeding on that deer, I willed another into my arms and drank its blood.

After another two, I was done, and I waited until Carlisle, Esme, Alice and Jasper returned.

"Are you done Kristen?" Jasper asked me, smiling slightly at me. I returned his smile as we walked back to house.

"By the way Kristen, how are you coping with…what happened?" Alice asked me kindly and I sighed.

"Getting there. It hasn't been easy, but it's getting easier. The hunt definitely helped a lot." I replied and she nodded, smiling at me.

Arriving back at the house, I sat at the table with Carlisle, who'd said that he wanted to talk to all of us.

"Alright, as you all probably know, the school semester is about to begin, and we've enrolled you at the local high school in Forks, which means that you will have to try and blend in with the humans as much as possible. In other words Jasper, do not make the boys fall in love with the other boys; and the same with the girls. Leave the humans' emotions alone." Carlisle said and we all burst out laughing. Even me, and I was still mourning Derryn's death. "Edward, try not to tap into people's private thoughts; some of those would get disturbing, wouldn't they?" he added to Edward, who grinned guiltily. "Just, in general, try to act as human as possible." He said to us and we nodded. "And this time Edward, try not to jeopardise anyone's life so that they have to go to the hospital for treatment." Carlisle said, laughing softly.

"Carlisle!" Edward said loudly to him. "That was only because Bella's idiot friend had decided to lose control of his car while Bella was in range! I had nothing to do with it, except that I saved her skin."

"I know Edward, I was joking." He laughed, but Edward glared at him. "Anyway, you'll all be starting school in approximately three months, which will help you, Kristen, to get some time to get through the remaining grief, so you can have a fresh start to the semester." He added, much more seriously.

"Alright, thank you Carlisle." I said.

"And another thing is that Kristen, because you're so used to being among vampires, you'll need to act as human as possible, which means don't use your natural vampiric speed, and because our skin will feel as cold as ice to humans, it would therefore be much more practical to not touch humans whilst you're at school. And don't worry, you'll have the other guys there to look after you and keep you in check." he said to me and I nodded.


	11. Chapter 10: School Begins

_Chapter 10: School Begins_

Three months later, it was the first day of school, and I decided that I'd stick with Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett to start off with.

The first class for the day was biology, and I was with Edward and Bella in there, rather than any of the other four.

After biology, however, I was with Alice and Jasper in trigonometry. I sat next to them in the classroom, when I noticed a boy looking in my direction. I wasn't sure if he was looking at me, but his eyes were almost certainly fixed on me. I sighed, trying to ignore his attentions. Vampires were naturally beautiful, designed to attract potential victims, so he was obviously only attracted to my looks, I told myself, thanking the heavens that I couldn't blush.

At lunch time, I sat with the Cullens, but the boy who'd spent most of trigonometry watching me was looking at me again. Again I tried to ignore him, but it didn't help that Edward kept snickering behind me.

"Edward, will you _please_ stop reading my thoughts?" I said to him in an undertone, glaring at him.

"Sorry, but I can't resist. Your thoughts are so…_interesting_." He whispered, but I looked sternly at him, shaking my head, and he cringed, knowing that I could easily get him back at home. "Fine." He said unwillingly, but he focused on something else, and I could finally get some private thoughts through my mind, but then Alice suddenly burst into fits of laughter. I sighed exasperatedly, looking at her.

"What is it now Alice?" I asked her softly, but she only shook her head, waving her hand while she struggled to control her laughter. "Please control her so she can tell me why she's laughing so hard." I whispered to Jasper and the next thing I knew, Alice was no longer laughing, though the laughter in her eyes was still there. "Now why were you laughing Alice?" I asked her.

"Because I saw your future…heaps of things are going to happen, and you're going to end up in love with the boy that looked at you in trig." She said, beginning to laugh again.

"But I can change the future, can't I?" I asked her, but already knowing the answer.

"Yes, you can. It's based on the decisions you make." She replied.

"I already knew that Alice, it was meant as a rhetorical question." I said, laughing.

That afternoon, the last period of the day was geography, and again I was in the same class as the boy who'd spent trigonometry and lunch watching me. This time, there were no Cullens to protect me from his attentions. I sighed, sitting at the front desk of the classroom, and he sat next to me, obviously determined to speak to me. I looked straight ahead, hoping he wouldn't talk to me. I was still missing Derryn, and this would be pushing it way too far.

"Hello." He said nervously, and courtesy forced me to look at him and return his greeting.

"Hello." I replied, only at this distance realising that he was very attractive. His skin was slightly tanned, but still pale at the same time, and his hair was brown with a slight shade of red-blonde in it. He looked nervous to be near me, and I could tell that his natural instincts to avoid danger were trying to take over and make him run from me, but he wasn't entirely aware of the risk to him that I was, even if his heart was. I could hear it speeding up in my presence, smell the blood flowing through his veins, but even being this close to a human did not spark any desire in me to hunt at all. I was amazed; I'd expected that being within this kind of proximity to a human would spark a desire to hunt; to kill. But it didn't work like that. I was completely immune to the scent and the desire to kill a human, compared to most vampires, who would get a desire to kill the human that was close to them.

"Um, what's your name?" he asked me softly, gradually gaining confidence, but his heart still told him that I was dangerous, even if there was no real danger in a human being near me, because of my intolerance to human blood.

"Kristen. What's your name?" I replied politely, suddenly feeling eager to get this conversation going.

"Rowan." He said softly. "By the way, just out of curiosity, are you Dr. Cullen's daughter?" he asked me. I almost said 'no, he found me in Australia after I'd been attacked by a vampire' but I remembered just in time that I was talking to a human.

"Yeah. Kristen Cullen's my name." I replied.

"Oh. I'm Rowan Pisanda." He said, smiling at me. "So, did you just move up here, or something?" he asked me.

"Um, well I was born in Australia and I lived there for most of my life, but eventually my parents decided to move us back here, where most of my siblings were born." I replied nervously, trying to make it sound probable.

"Were your parents born here as well?" he asked me and I nodded.

"Yeah. They met and married here, having most of my siblings, and when the youngest of my older siblings was about one, they moved down to Australia, where I was born a year later. I spent most of my life down there, and only moved up here about five months ago." I replied, trying to keep the 'age' order to the order I'd been told that my 'siblings' had been turned, making Bella my youngest elder sister – and two years older than me!

"Wow, so you're the youngest?" he asked me.

"Yeah, but with siblings like those that I've got, it gets scary sometimes." I replied.

"Your dad works at the hospital that's nearby, doesn't he?" Rowan asked and I smiled.

"Yeah, but he didn't start working there until last month, once he was sure we were all settling back into American life nicely." I replied and he nodded.

"Okay, because my mum works there, and she won't shut up about how attractive Dr. Cullen is. She says 'I always get flustered whenever I'm near him, and my heart starts racing and everything. He's like a living god. He's gorgeous.' My dad and I can never get a break from her talks about him. In fact, I think my dad's dead scared that she'll try and run away with him." He laughed and I joined in, seriously doubting that Carlisle would even consider running away with Rowan's mother, let alone consenting to it.

"Don't worry, Dad's never shown any interest in any woman except my mother. Mum's the only woman that he's ever shown any interest in." I said and he laughed, nodding.

"Good, I'm glad about that." He laughed. "I'd hate to have my mother run away with a doctor she barely knows."

"Yeah, and I'd hate for my father run away with a nurse he barely knows." I replied, laughing as well. I was amazed that it would be so easy to get along with a human.

"I know it may seem a bit early for me to be saying this, and I only mean it as a compliment, but you really are very beautiful." He said, sounding almost exactly like Derryn when he said that. I sighed, trying to keep myself calm, but Rowan seemed to notice my expression. "Did I offend you or something?" he asked me, but I shook my head.

"No. Don't worry about it Rowan; I'd recently lost my boyfriend in a car accident, and I'm still mourning that." I said softly, trying to make it sound realistic.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." He said softly, obviously unable to think of something to say to console me.

"That's okay; he just always used to say that to me, and when you said it, it reminded me of him saying it to me." I replied and he nodded, reaching out to place his hand on my shoulder. I held my breath, hoping that he wouldn't feel the cold of my skin through my shirt and jumper. His hand came gently onto my shoulder, obviously meant to comfort me, and he held it there for a moment, before he drew it back, with a faint sharp breath.

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked me, looking concerned. "You're cold as ice. Are you sick or something?"

"No, I'm fine. My skin's always like that." I replied and he nodded after a moment's hesitation.

"Are you sure?" he asked, obviously still concerned. "I mean, it just seems a bit strange that a person have cold skin."

"Nah, not with my family. Most of my family has cold skin, but we're all healthy as horses." I replied, shrugging.

"Alright." He said, taking a deep breath. I could hear that his heart still didn't want to slow down any, which was making his breathing shallow.

After class, it was time to leave and I farewelled Rowan as I joined my family.

"You actually started talking to that human, did you Kristen?" Edward asked me jokily, and I knew he already knew the answer.

"You already know the answer to that, Edward. So there's no point in asking me the question." I replied, and the memory of Rowan touching my shoulder floated to my mind. Edward gasped, clapping his hands to his mouth.

"He didn't…" he said to me, looking shocked and horrified. "Please don't tell me that he touched you…"

"Alright then, I won't tell you." I said simply and everyone gasped, looking at me.

"Did he feel the cold of your skin?" Rosalie asked me and I nodded slowly.

"Yes, but I just told him that my skin was always cold. I told him that I was born like that." I replied. "He didn't think much of it. Really, he didn't." I reassured them and they sighed with relief.

"I can't believe I didn't see him do that…but thankfully he didn't suspect a thing." Alice said as we drove home.


	12. 11: Friendship is a Recipe for Disaster

_Chapter 11: Friendship is a Recipe for Disaster_

I'd been attending school for a month now, and Rowan and I were beginning to get closer than I thought I'd ever be to a human. We spent classes working together and lunch times talking at our own table (near the Cullens, so they could keep an eye over us, but so that we were able to have our own conversations).

One day, however, I was walking from my biology class on my way to lunch, when I heard the beating of several excited hearts. Curious, I walked slowly closer to have a look, and that was when I heard the weak beating of a fearful heart. There was the foul stench of human blood in the air, and I knew that something was happening. Knowing this kind of scent would excite the Cullens, who weren't quite as immune to the scent as I was, I walked closer and saw a huge burly guy, who I recognised as Malcolm Blake, the school bully, standing over a human figure on the floor, kicking them over and over again. Another step closer and I saw who the figure on the floor was – it was Rowan, but unfortunately he was not conscious, and was bleeding from a very deep cut to the back of his head, and several shallow cuts to his arms and hands. Worried for my friend's safety, I walked briskly forward and stood between Rowan and his attacker.

"What are you doing there, girlie?" Malcolm said aggressively to me, but I stood my ground.

"What does it look like I'm doing, ass hole?" I asked him firmly.

"C'mon Malcolm, you can take her," said a smaller boy that looked like one of Malcolm's cronies.

"You're right, Rick, I can take her. She's just a tiny, little girl that couldn't take harsh words." Malcolm agreed to his crony, turning to me. "Ready for some punishment, girlie?" he asked me, flexing his huge muscles.

"The only punishment will be on you, Blake. I'm a lot tougher than I look." I said and he clenched his fist.

"We'll see girlie." He said, pulling his fist back, ready for the punch. "And don't think I'll go easy on you just because you're a girl." he added, but I shrugged.

"I'm not expecting you to. Go as hard on me as you want; you're the one whose going to end up injured." I said and he punched me hard in the centre of my chest, before withdrawing his hand, staring at it, an expression of pain etched into his face.

"What the f*** did you do to my hand!?" he asked me as he clutched his right wrist with his left hand.

"You did that yourself. I didn't do anything." I said earnestly. "And I told you that you would be the one injured, didn't I?" I asked him, but in reply, he and his crony ran off, obviously scared and, in Malcolm's case, sore. "Alright guys, you've seen enough here. Go to lunch, or your food's going to get cold waiting for you." I said to the rest of the students crowding around and they backed off, walking into the cafeteria. With that I knelt next to Rowan, checking him over. I could hear his heart beating, which told me that he was still alive, though probably only just, judging from the strength of the beat (which was quite weak, in fact). I sighed, picking him up into my arms with ease and, making sure my hand was placed over the cut to his head, I ran out of the school and towards the hospital.

'_Edward, Rowan's been injured badly from Malcolm Blake, and he really needs hospital treatment. He's struggling to stay alive as it is. If I'm late for trig, can you please tell Alice to tell the teacher that I was called to go home for a while? Tell her to make up an excuse if he asks.'_ I thought hard as I ran, reaching the hospital within five minutes and I stopped, walking briskly inside and I told a passing nurse that I needed to see Dr. Cullen, and she nodded, leading me up a flight of stairs and to an office door. She knocked once and the door opened to reveal Carlisle.

"A girl to see you Dr. Cullen. It looks like she has an injured boy in her arms." The nurse said to him and Carlisle looked at me, then at Rowan and sighed.

"Thank you Ruby. I'll see to this." He said and the nurse nodded and walked away. "Okay Kristen, follow me." He added to me, leading me down a hallway and into a ward, where he told me to lay Rowan down on a bed, before drawing the curtains around the bed. "Now, when I'd told Edward not to jeopardise anyone's life this year, I didn't think that you would do it, instead." He said to me as he checked Rowan over.

"Carlisle, he was attacked by the school bully, I only got there just in time to prevent him being killed by the bully." I explained and Carlisle sighed.

"How did you manage to get rid of this bully?" he asked me.

"Well, he punched me in the centre of my chest and possibly broke his hand." I said and a smile flitted across Carlisle's face.

"How well do you know this boy, here?" he asked me, suddenly serious again.

"He and I are friends." I replied, concerned for my friend.

"What's his name? I'll need a full name." he asked me.

"His name's Rowan Pisanda." I replied and a very slight flicker of fear flitted across Carlisle's face.

"Oh god, another Pisanda. Do you realise what his mother tried to do to me?" he asked me and I smiled.

"I can probably take a pretty good guess. Rowan told me that his mother keeps talking about how 'gorgeous' you are. Apparently he and his father are dead scared she's going to try and run away with you." I replied and he rolled his eyes.

"She's kept asking me if I'm single…which obviously I'm not…but I swear if I don't keep my guard up she'll sneak up behind me and try to rape me." He said, cringing. "I mean it, she scares me." He added, laughing as he stitched up Rowan's head wound.

"Shite…well, Rowan's better than that in every respect. He's actually quite a nice guy." I said and he smiled.

"That's good. Just remember to try and keep our true identity a secret from him, alright? If he figures it out, I guess you'll have no choice but to tell him, but tell him not to tell anyone else." He said to me and I nodded. "And thank god you two are the genders you are…or we could end up with a repeat performance of Edward and Bella…that is really not going to be fun." He added, laughing again, and I joined in.

"Do you mean when Renesmee was conceived?" I asked him.

"That's exactly what I mean…thank god you can't conceive a child with a human man." He replied and we both laughed again. "And thank you for bringing him here to me. And your hand placed on the back of his head was also a good idea. The cut needed compression, and your hand provided that nicely, along with coldness." He said to me, smiling.

"Will he be alright though, Carlisle?" I asked him softly, looking at Rowan's unconscious form.

"He'll be fine Kristen." Carlisle replied softly and I sighed, beginning to really worry about Rowan. Just then, however, the curtains parted and a woman that looked like Rowan, except for her dark brown hair, walked in, seeing Carlisle and blushed deeply, before seeing Rowan.

"Rowan!?" she exclaimed, rushing to his side. Judging from her looks, she was Rowan's mother. "What happened to him?" she asked Carlisle, timing Rowan's pulse and checking him over for any serious injuries.

"Leanne, your son's fine!" Carlisle told her firmly, startled.

"That's good, but as his mother, I'd still like to know what happened to him." She said and Carlisle sighed.

"I understand that Leanne. I am a parent, myself." He said and I swear she was swearing inside her head. "I'll let my daughter explain what had happened to your son. She was the one who helped him and brought him here for treatment." He added, nodding to me. I sighed, wondering how Mrs. Pisanda would take this information.

"By the time I got there, he was already unconscious, but I saw the school bully, Malcolm Blake kicking him, while he was unconscious, and I stood between Blake and Rowan, facing Blake. He punched me, but injured himself and ran off. I got rid of the crowd and brought your son here, using my cell phone to tell my brother to let my teacher know that I'm taking a fellow student to the hospital." I said and Mrs. Pisanda nodded, sighing. I could hear her heart throwing itself against her ribs, and I supposed that was worry for her son, but she smiled at me all the same.

"Alright. Thank you for bringing him here." She said to me, before turning to Carlisle. "Would you like me to stay and help, or are you alright with him?" she asked him.

"I'm okay here Leanne. I've got it." He said and she nodded, taking a last, worried look at her son, before walking away, drawing the curtains behind her again. "And Kristen, you'd better get back to school, or even Edward will be wondering where you are. What class were you supposed to have now?" he said to me.

"Trigonometry. I hope Edward was reading my thoughts, because if he was, he should know to tell Alice to tell the teacher that I had to leave school for a while, if I was late for class." I replied and he nodded.

"Alright, you'd better get back to school, then." He said and I sighed, looking briefly at Rowan. "And don't worry about him Kristen. He'll be alright." He added, noticing my expression.

"Alright. I'll see you this afternoon, Carlisle." I replied and he nodded as I walked out of the ward and out of the hospital altogether, before breaking into a run back to school.


	13. Chapter 12: Strange Events

_Chapter 12: Strange Events_

Several weeks after Rowan had been injured by Malcolm Blake, he'd completely recovered and returned to school.

"Kristen! Kristen! Over here!" he called to me one Monday morning and I looked over. Seeing him, I smiled and walked over to him. Suddenly, he pulled me into a hug, but pulled away just as suddenly, rubbing his arms. "You're still cold as ice…too cold to even be natural. Are you sure everything's alright?" he asked me in an undertone.

"Everything's fine. Remember I told you that my skin's naturally colder than normal?" I replied, but he looked unconvinced.

"Can I please talk to you in private?" he asked me softly. "I just need to try and figure this out."

I sighed, looking sincere.

"Alright, but we'd better make it quick." I replied and we walked into the nearby forest, stopping only when we were out of earshot of anyone.

"Kristen, your cold skin isn't the only thing I've noticed. When I was injured, I wasn't entirely unconscious. I saw Blake punch you and break his hand on your chest…that shouldn't have happened. And when you lifted me into your arms to take me to hospital, it was with ease…you should've struggled at least slightly. And your running speed was just unnatural. No human can run that fast. I don't want to offend you Kristen, or lose you as a friend, but I want to know what's going on. Somehow, you don't seem entirely…human." He said and I sighed.

"You've pretty much got the cat in the bag. I'm not entirely human. Don't be shy, but I want you to place your hand where my heart would be." I said softly and he looked shocked.

"I'm not going to touch your chest, Kristen! We're just friends…we haven't known each other for very long." He said and I smiled.

"Rowan, don't worry. Normally I'd punch you for doing this, but in this instance you have my permission. Please just trust me." I said softly to him and he hesitated, before slowly approaching me.

"Are you sure about this Kristen?" he asked.

"Yes. It's time you found out." I replied softly. "I can't keep this from you, no matter how hard I try. Just place your hand where the heart would be on a human."

He slowly reached out and placed his hand where my heart would've been beating if I hadn't been turned. He held it there for a moment, before withdrawing it rapidly, gasping with surprise.

"You – you don't have a heart beat!" he whispered, startled. I nodded.

"I told you, I'm not entirely human. My heart doesn't beat, meaning that I don't have blood flowing through my veins. That's why my skin is so pale and cold. My skin is as hard as stone, so you can't cut me with a normal knife, and you'll break your hand if you punch me. I have the speed to outrun any creature on the face of the planet, and the strength to outlast any creature on the planet. I can't eat human food or drink what you normally drink…the only thing I can have is blood. Have you figured out what I am, yet?" I asked him, and I heard his heart start throwing itself against his ribs and the blood drained from his face as he took a step backwards.

"I – I don't believe it…you can't be a – a vampire, can you?" he asked me in a horrified whisper.

"I am a vampire, Rowan. To quote what you said before, I don't want to lose you as a friend. For starters, I'm allergic to human blood. I can only have animal blood, or my skin will start dissolving. It's happened before…that's where these scars came from." I said and he sighed, taking a cautious step towards me.

"Are your family all vampires, too?" he asked me cautiously.

"Yes. I was turned in Australia…that's where I was born. The Cullens found me before I could be killed by the vampire that turned me, and I've stayed with them since." I replied softly, so as not to scare him any more than he obviously already was. "But please don't tell anyone else about this, Rowan. Our identity needs to be kept a secret." I pleaded with him and he sighed. I could hear his heart beginning to relax slightly.

"I promise Kristen. I still want to remain your friend, but suddenly finding out that you're a vampire was a bit much for my poor heart to handle." He laughed and I joined in, relaxing with his heart.


	14. Chapter 13: Growing Feelings

_Chapter 13: Growing Feelings_

About four months after Rowan found out that I was a vampire, I walked towards him, hearing him muttering to himself. His heart was racing, and I knew he was nervous about something. I tuned my ears to hear what he was saying.

"Kristen, I don't know how to tell you this but I've fallen in love with you…no, that's not right…Kristen, I have to tell you that I love you…no, that's even worse…oh, I don't know how I should tell her!" I heard him mutter and I smiled inwardly. I couldn't believe that he loved me! I'd recently fallen in love with him too, but I'd never actually fallen in love with a human before. I sighed as I walked up to him and he stopped muttering, blushing.

"I just want to check Rowan, but I couldn't help overhearing you practicing ways to tell me that you love me…is it true?" I asked him innocently, already knowing the answer, from the way that his heart began throwing itself against his ribs. He blushed deeper, looking at his feet as he nodded.

"You'd probably say that it's stupid to fall in love with a vampire though. But I can't help it…I'm not the living dead. I still have hormones, and…and I am male. What am I supposed to do when a really beautiful girl walks into my life?" he said defensively and I sighed, placing my hand on his shoulder.

"Rowan…there's no need to defend yourself. I understand. And it's not like I haven't fallen for you, either." I replied and he sighed, nodding as he looked into my eyes, which were golden from my recent hunt.

That night, when I knew Rowan's parents would be asleep; I leapt silently out of my bedroom window and landed neatly in a tree. Jumping to the ground, I ran at top speed into forks, sticking to the outskirts until I found Rowan's street. Memorising his address, I ran to the house, jumping into a tree in their yard, looking around the house, trying to find Rowan's bedroom. I found a room with a light on and I edged slightly closer, keeping to the branch. Inside the room was Rowan, sitting on his bed and looking depressed. Seeing him depressed tore my up inside, and I edged even closer to his window, tapping on it gently. He looked up and almost leapt out of his skin. He ran to the window and opened it, allowing me inside.

"What are you doing here Kristen?" he asked me and I smiled.

"I came to see you. Vampires don't sleep, and I couldn't get you out of my mind. I had to see you." I replied and he hugged me.

"Thank you Kristen. I was starting to miss you." He whispered to me and I smiled. Looking him in the eyes, we slowly drew closer until our lips touched in a kiss. Very slowly the kiss grew deeper and more passionate, until I suddenly pulled away, breaking his grip on my waist. "What's wrong?" he asked me and I sighed. I'd almost let the kiss get out of hand, and I found that it was too fast anyway.

"Sorry Rowan, but it's too fast. We should slow down a little bit. We've leapt into this relationship too quickly." I replied and he sighed, nodding.

"You're right; sorry. I forgot that you're probably still mourning your last boyfriend." He said softly and I hugged him, resting my head on his chest, feeling the warmth of his body on my cheek and hearing and feeling his heart beating. I breathed in his scent, before looking up into his brown eyes and kissing his lips gently.

"That's okay Rowan. You're forgiven." I said softly as he placed his arms around my waist again.

"Thank you Kristen." He whispered, kissing me briefly.

The next day at school, Rowan and I stayed together, and although my skin felt as cold as ice to him, he kept his hand in mine, until I had to go to biology, and he had to go to chemistry.

"I'll see you after chem., Kristen." He said to me softly as he walked in the opposite direction to me. I sighed as I joined Edward and Bella in biology.

"Kristen, would you mind not thinking about that now? That is rather disturbing." Edward asked me halfway through class and I glared at him briefly.

"Sorry Edward, but would you mind staying out of my head? That gets rather annoying." I told him and he sighed, rolling his eyes as Bella looked at him, confused.

"What's going on?" she asked us softly.

"Kristen was thinking of–" Edward began, but I stabbed him hard in the back of his hand with my pen, putting my vampiric strength into it to prevent it from breaking. "Ow! Kristen, that hurt!" he told me, looking at the small hole in his hand where my pen had gone into his skin.

"Don't worry Bella, Edward won't keep his nose in his own business…he has to stick it into my mind and see what I'm thinking." I said to Bella, looking furiously at Edward.

"Edward, stop reading her mind. You don't need to worry about what she's thinking." Bella told him and I smiled at her.

"Thank you Bella." I said to her, just as the bell rang and we all collected our books and left the classroom to go home. I met Rowan standing near his car and I approached him, smiling.

"Edward read my mind in biology today. I don't even know why I was thinking what I was…but I was thinking it anyway." I said to him and he looked confused.

"What were you thinking?" he asked me and I sighed, biting my bottom lip.

"Um…don't ask me why I was thinking it, but I was thinking about…sex." I whispered to him and he blushed.

"When did you start thinking that?" he asked me, looking embarrassed.

"About halfway through class." I replied and a look of surprise took over the look of total embarrassment.

"I was thinking exactly the same thing at exactly the same time…this is weird…as if I'd managed to put what I was thinking into your head…" he said and I looked confused.

"You mean as though you were telepathic?" I asked him and he nodded.

"Yeah…but it's not really possible, is it? To be telepathic, I mean." He asked and I shrugged.

"Come with me and I'll show you something that may also be completely impossible." I said and he took my hand. Together we walked out of sight of any humans and I swung him onto my back. "Hold on tight." I said and he did as he was told and I sprinted deep into the forest with him on my back.

Arriving at our destination, I let him down and told him to sit down, as he was looking very pale. He did as he was told and eventually the colour returned to his face.

"Are you okay Rowan?" I asked him and he nodded slowly, gulping.

"Yeah, just please don't do that again…the speed's almost sickening." He said and I nodded.

"Sorry. But I had to get us here fast before anyone could see us." I said and he sighed, his heart slowing down gradually. "Are you alright now?" I asked him and he nodded.

"I'll be alright. What was it you wanted to show me?" he asked me and I looked around briefly to make sure we were alone. I sniffed the air and used telekinesis to bring a deer into my arms. I let it go again, not feeling like drinking its blood while Rowan was around. I looked at him and saw his jaw had dropped and his eyes wide.

"You're telekinetic?" he asked me and I nodded slowly.

"That's not all. Punch a tree for me." I said and he stood up, looking confused. He punched the nearest tree, causing no damage to the trunk. "Now wait a moment…" I said, placing my hands on each of his shoulders, putting my vampiric strength into him. "Now punch it again." I said and he did as he was told, this time, breaking the trunk and sending the tree flying about 20 feet. He looked shocked, looking at his right fist.

"How did I do that?" he asked me and I smiled, removing my hands from his shoulders.

"I put my vampiric strength into you. Normally, vampires wouldn't be able to do that, but that's another of my abilities." I said and he nodded his eyes wide. I laughed, pulling him into a hug and kissing his lips briefly to unfreeze him and he blinked, before wrapping his arms around my waist and turning the kiss from a light one into an increasingly deep one. I pulled away when I felt the kiss getting out of hand.

"Sorry Kristen." He said softly, blushing slightly.

"That's alright." I said, sighing as I smelt his blood pooling in his cheeks. "I love it when you blush…its cute. If I weren't allergic to human blood, though, it would tempt me to bite you." I said and he looked startled. "Don't worry, the only way that it's tempting me is to kiss you." I said and he smiled, kissing me gently.


	15. 14: Rowan's Grief and Kristen's Decision

_Chapter 14: Rowan's grief and Kristen's decisions_

Eight months later, school had finished for the year, and I knew the next year we would be in our last year of school. It was January 23rd, and Rowan's birthday. To celebrate his birthday, I decided to stay over at his house that night. Carlisle and Rowan's parents consented so I drove there. Arriving at his house, I knocked on the door and the door opened as Rowan flung himself into my arms.

"Calm down Rowan." I laughed as I hugged him in return. "And happy birthday, by the way." I whispered into his ear. He smiled, kissing me briefly as he led me into the house. Pretending that I was human, he spoke loudly to me, offering me food and drinks, which I politely refused, struggling not to laugh.

"Are you hungry Kristen?" he asked me, his arm around my waist.

"Yeah, I'm hungry for your love." I whispered to him. "No, I've eaten, thank you Rowan."

"Would you like a drink?" he asked me, smiling at me.

"No thank you Rowan. I'm not thirsty." I replied so his parents would hear me. "I've already hunted before I arrived." I whispered to him and he smiled, kissing me briefly.

Late that night, we were in Rowan's bedroom, and I was pretending to be sleeping in the bed that his parents had made for me on the floor, when he came over to me and kissed my lips, holding my head in place, as though worried that I would pull away. If that's what he thought, he was severely mistaken, because I wrapped my arms around him, drawing him even closer. I knew if the cold of my skin got to be too much for him that instinct would force him to pull away, so I didn't need to worry about that. When I started unbuttoning his pyjama shirt, he pulled away slightly.

"You're not just doing this to make me happy, I hope?" he asked me and I smiled.

"Rowan, I may be a vampire, but I'm still a girl. I may not get hormones anymore, but I still get the urges." I replied, pulling him closer, but he pulled away again.

"And there's no risk of you getting pregnant?" he asked me, but I shook my head.

"I'm a vampire, remember? My body has frozen in time. If you were the vampire and I was the human, there would be a risk, because your reproductive system, once it gets going, it doesn't need to change at all throughout your life, but a woman's does in order for her to bear children. Mine has stopped in time, so therefore I can't bear children." I told him. "Now, are there any more questions, or can we continue?" I asked him and in reply he pressed his lips hard to mine and I pulled him closer, being careful not to hurt him.

"Kristen, you're too tense." He murmured into my throat after a while. "Relax. Let your worries fly away."

"Rowan, if I do that, you could end up hurt or killed. Remember, I'm a lot stronger than you, and as a result, if I'm not careful, you could end up dead." I replied as I worked to finish unbuttoning his shirt, while he unbuttoned my pyjama shirt.

Once we'd finally succeeded in finally getting each other's clothes off, I drew him even closer to me, so that he was almost a part of my body. He sighed deeply, moving in such a way that caused me to tighten my grip on him.

After about half an hour, a scream startled us and we parted hurriedly, getting dressed rapidly.

"What was that, Kristen?" Rowan asked me, sounding scared. I hugged him briefly to calm him, before we exited his room and descended the stairs. I told Rowan to stay behind me as I walked slowly into the living room, where a horrible sight reached my eyes. The vampire that had turned me over a year ago was in the room, holding Mrs. Pisanda, who had a bite mark on her throat. The vampire didn't notice us approaching, and continued to drink the woman's blood. Only when he was finished did he realise that he was not the only vampire in the room. By that time, I'd walked around him so that I was in front of Mr. Pisanda, who was looking terrified of the vampire, and tears were running down his cheeks from what had happened to his wife.

"Kristen, don't try and stand up to him. He'll do to you what he did to my wife." Mr. Pisanda pleaded with me, sounding worried for me. I could hear his heart throwing itself against his ribs, just as a loud wailing sound reached our ears and Rowan's father turned around and picked up a one-year-old baby boy off the couch, cradling him gently.

"Rowan, please reassure your father that I'll be alright. I know what I'm doing." I told Rowan and he nodded, looking terrified and grief-stricken. I took a step towards the vampire, whose name I'd recently discovered was Sedren Porter, an Englishman who'd decided to take up killing. Sedren laughed, taking two steps towards me.

"Ah Kristen! It is so good to see you again…to finally finish you off. Those idiot Cullens who were stupid enough to save your life twice, won't save you this time. I'll deal with them once I'm done with you." He said, holding his arms out to me, and I took another step towards him.

"I wouldn't be so sure that you'll finish me off tonight, Sedren. I'm not alone." I said to him, lunging forward and latching my teeth around his arm. I jerked my head and his arm came off completely. I threw his arm into the fireplace, the fire of which was still burning, and Sedren yelled as he lunged at me. He pinned me against the wall, his mouth at my throat.

"You know Kristen; I can give you all the secrets to your life as a human. You were nineteen when you were stupid enough to hike where I was waiting for you. Kristen Porter was your name." he said to me and I looked shocked. "That's right Kristen…I am your brother. I was turned and given the job of killing you…a job I would take pleasure in doing. Unfortunately for me, that asshole Carlisle Cullen found you before I could actually kill you. But no matter, I'll take great pleasure in killing you tonight. Right in front of your boyfriend, too, will come in handy, before I kill both him and his father." Sedren said and I struggled hard.

"There is no way I'll believe that I was _ever_ your sister!" I spat at him, but he just laughed. "And I'm not here alone either Sedren! I told you that already!" I told him, and he looked around, laughing.

"Then where is this other vampire? Is he hiding because he's too scared that I'll kill him before he can save you?" he taunted me, laughing, but Carlisle, Edward and Rosalie walked calmly out of the shadows.

"Surprise!" Rosalie laughed, but Sedren ran towards Rowan and his father and brother. He grabbed Rowan and held his struggling form near the fire.

"You take one step and I throw him into the fire!" he yelled at us and we all stopped in our tracks.

"Kristen, I need you to use your telekinesis to push him into the fire, while keeping Rowan out of the fireplace." Carlisle said urgently to me, but I shook my head, terrified for my boyfriend's life.

"I can't do it Carlisle. If I do, I'll end up killing Rowan. I can't risk it." I told him, but he placed his hand on my shoulder.

"Kristen, you're the only one who can do anything to save your boyfriend's life." He said to me, but I continued to shake my head. He sighed, thinking for a moment. "Alright then, use your telekinesis to bring Rowan towards you, and Rosalie and Edward will attack Sedren." He said. I sighed, trying to concentrate, but my concentration was off because of worry and both Sedren and Rowan fell into the fire. I screamed, running over and reaching into the fire to save Rowan, but Sedren, in his desperation to get out of there alive, grabbed my arm instead and pulled me into the fire. I screamed louder as the fire burned through my skin, when I suddenly felt the coldness and wetness of water splash onto us and a strong hand drag me out of the fire. I opened my eyes and saw Carlisle bending over me, looking concerned as he gently dabbed water onto the burns to my skin. I sighed as I turned my head to see where my boyfriend was, but I couldn't see anything.

"Kristen, are you alright?" Carlisle asked me softly and I sighed, emotion beginning to weigh down on my chest.

"W-where's Rowan?" I asked him, looking around desperately.

"Kristen, Edward's looking after him. Come on; we'd better get back home. Alice is worried sick about you." He replied gently to me, his hand on my shoulder. My burns were nothing more than mild scars now. I stood up, seeing Rowan lying unconscious nearby, Edward kneeling next to him. I ran over, kneeling next to my boyfriend, looking worried.

"Is he okay Edward?" I asked Edward, but he shook his head sadly.

"No. I'm sorry Kristen, but we're losing him." He said and I looked first at Rowan, then at Carlisle, who was walking over.

"Carlisle, you need to turn him." I said to him, but he shook his head.

"No Kristen. There's still a chance for him to remain alive, so I'm not going to turn him." He replied firmly.

"Carlisle, he's dying! If he dies, it'll be too late to turn him!" I told him loudly, but still he shook his head.

"Carlisle, she's right. I know what she's going through, because I too fell in love with a human. She's not going to want to let him go." Edward said, but still Carlisle shook his head.

"Edward, Kristen, I'm not going to turn him if he still has a chance at survival. Kristen, I know this hurts you, but if we go turning every human that's dying, there'll be no humans left. They'll all be vampires." He said, but I shook my head.

"Carlisle, Rowan is dying…it's not like I want to save every human from dying, but I won't be able to live without him…I'll kill myself if he dies." I told Carlisle, who sighed, placing his hand on my shoulder, but I shrugged it off, gently pulling Rowan into my arms and cradling him there as though he was my baby.

"Kristen, if he wasn't dying would you want to turn him?" Carlisle asked me softly and I looked up at him, nodding slowly.

"I would eventually want to turn him…Carlisle, I love him. I can't live without him." I told Carlisle softly, who sighed.

"Kristen, I understand that you're upset by this, but we need to be realistic, here. His father is right behind us…if we turn his son in front of him, he won't be very happy, and he'll also realise what his son's girlfriend really is – what his son will become. He'll be terrified that his son will try and hunt him." Carlisle said softly to me and I sighed.

"Wait here, I need to talk to his father for a moment." I said to Carlisle and Edward softly. "And Edward, don't try listening to our thoughts." I added to Edward, who nodded as I gently lay Rowan back on the ground, standing up and walking to Mr. Pisanda. "Mr. Pisanda?" I asked him softly as I approached him.

"You're – you're the same as the man who killed my wife, aren't you? You're one of them, aren't you?" he asked me, almost accusingly.

"Yes, but the man that killed your wife has been killing people for up to ten years now. I'm different to him in the same way that I'm the same as him. Although we are vampires, he's been killing people and defying death for ten years, whereas I'm allergic to human blood and I only hunt animals when I'm thirsty." I explained softly, knowing that he would realise it in time anyway.

"What about the Cullens? Carlisle and the rest." He asked. I nodded, sighing.

"They're vampires too, but like me, they only hunt animals." I replied.

"Will Rowan be okay?" he asked me, looking around me at his son.

"Unfortunately Mr. Pisanda, Rowan is nearly beyond our reach. He's dying. You may not like this, but I want to ask for your permission to turn him so that he can live. He'll end up living forever, but it's better than dying at the age of 18." I said but Mr. Pisanda shook his head.

"If you turn him, I may never get to see him again because he'll want to kill me." He said and I sighed.

"Mr. Pisanda, you will get to see him. As soon as he can control his thirst, you'll be the first to know, and we'll come to see you. I'm quite sure that he would want to see his father, even if he's a vampire." I said and Mr. Pisanda looked around me again at his son and sighed.

"I won't ever see him again if you don't turn him, will I?" he asked me and I shook my head slowly.

"No, I'm sorry. This isn't the easiest decision for you to make, I know. But it has to be made." I said softly and he sighed. I could hear his heart slow down dramatically. Eventually he sighed deeply and nodded.

"Do what you have to do to keep my son alive." He said finally and I sighed, standing up and walking back towards Carlisle and Edward, who were kneeling next to Rowan. Carlisle looked up as I approached.

"What went on there?" he asked me and I sighed.

"I asked him how he felt about his son being turned…and yes I told him what we are…and he said for us to do what we have to, to keep him alive." I replied and Carlisle sighed.

"I still don't agree with this…this seems almost barbaric. Ending a boy's life before his time." He said softly.

"Carlisle, we're not ending his life, we're just turning him into the living dead." Edward said earnestly.

"You know what I mean Edward." Carlisle said to him. "Kristen, I'm not going to turn him, no matter how much you beg. Rowan still has a chance at life, no matter how slim." He said to me, but I shook my head.

"Fine then Carlisle. If you're not going to turn him to save his life, I will. I'll take the risk of having a reaction to his blood, as long as I've saved his life." I said, but Carlisle placed a restraining hand on my shoulder, tightening his grip.

"No Kristen. I can't allow you to do that. This time, there's no one I can use to provide the blood required for the cure. There is no way that I'm going to risk your life like that." He said firmly, but I grabbed his wrist, force-breaking his grip on my shoulder and bending over Rowan.

"Well, if you're going to refuse to turn him, I have no choice. I can try ingesting as little blood as possible when I bite." I said and he sighed, looking increasingly worried.

"Well, you two will have to make a decision quickly; we're losing him rapidly." Edward said and I sighed, bending further over Rowan. I kissed his forehead briefly before I bit his throat. I could hear Carlisle telling me to stop, that I would kill myself, but I kept my mouth there, making sure I injected enough venom to turn him in time.

Eventually I lifted my head, seeing my teeth marks in Rowan's throat and his eyes flickering open. At the same time, his mouth opened in a silent scream.

"How much blood did you ingest in doing that, Kristen?" Carlisle asked me.

"None. I can only just taste blood. I didn't swallow any." I replied and he sighed.

"Alright, good. I'm still going to monitor you for the next day or two, just in case. And since it was you who turned Rowan, you can take him on his first hunt when he's completely turned." He said to me and I nodded, just as Rowan seemed to have found his voice box and started yelling in pain. "We'd better get him home or his yells will distress his father." Carlisle added and I stood up, lifting Rowan into my arms gently. Rosalie, Edward and Carlisle stood next to me. Together, we ran back to the Cullen household, Rowan yelling with pain in my arms.


	16. Chapter 15: The Tenth Cullen

_Chapter 15: The Tenth Cullen_

Arriving home, I carried Rowan up to my bedroom, placing him on my daybed. Now he was moaning in pain, but I could hear his heart rapidly throwing itself against his ribs. I knew that eventually it would stop and he would wake up a vampire. I kissed his forehead briefly, sighing.

"I'm sorry I had to do that Rowan, but you were dying." I whispered to him as he slipped in and out of unconsciousness.

Three days later, I sat by Rowan's 'bed', my hand resting gently on his arm. Just then, the door opened and Jacob entered, looking nervous.

"Kristen?" he asked me softly and I looked up at him.

"What is it Jacob?" I asked him.

"I just wanted to make sure you're okay. I didn't get a chance to see you after the cure had been administered to you, because I'd lost consciousness." He said and I smiled.

"It's okay Jacob. You're forgiven. And I'm alright." I said and he nodded.

"That's good to hear. I just felt guilty that you'd been injured in the fight after sucking the venom out of my blood. I'd like to thank you for saving my life. You ignored any risk to your life while trying to save mine. And for that I thank you." He said and I smiled wider at him.

"You're welcome. It was my pleasure. You did the same to me anyway by offering to use yourself as a test dummy so Carlisle could find a cure to my reaction." I said, just as Rowan groaned. "By the way, Rowan is a newborn vampire, so if I were you, I wouldn't be in here right now, or he could accidentally let slip and bite you." I added, my hand tightening on Rowan's arm.

"Good point." Jacob said, walking out of the room, just as Rowan opened his eyes.

"K-Kristen?" he asked me softly and I smiled.

"Are you alright Rowan?" I asked him and he looked around.

"Where am I?" he asked me and I sighed.

"You're in my bedroom at the Cullen household." I replied.

"Why does my throat hurt so badly?" he asked, his left hand on his throat.

"That's the thirst." I replied and he looked confused.

"What do you mean? Am I a vampire now, or something?" he asked me and I sighed again, nodding.

"You were dying after being thrown into the fire, and your father told me to do whatever I had to in order to keep you alive. I had no choice but to turn you, or you would've died." I replied and he nodded.

"Okay." He said. "My throat feels like it's on fire. You say that's the thirst?" he added and I sighed, smiling as I kissed his forehead briefly.

"Yes; the burning sensation in your throat is the thirst for blood. Come on, we'd better go hunt." I said and he nodded, standing up. I opened the window and he looked down.

"You're not seriously considering I jump down there, are you?" he asked me and I sighed.

"Don't worry Rowan, remember, you're built much stronger than humans. While humans will break an ankle or kill themselves by jumping out of this window, we vampires will easily survive it uninjured. Don't worry. Jump." I said and he sighed, taking a deep breath and jumping out of the window and landing on his feet. I jumped down after him, landing next to him. I sniffed the air and smelt humans close. "Come with me, Rowan, and do not go near the humans that you'd most likely be able to smell." I said to him and he nodded as we ran deep into the forest, away from the humans. "Now, when hunting, let instinct take over. That's the easiest way there is to hunt." I told him and he nodded, running into the distance. I ran after him, knowing that he could get himself into trouble. I saw him take down a mountain lion and drink its blood, before straightening up again and running after a deer that was nearby. I watched him carefully as he took it down and drank its blood. I smiled, willing a deer into my arms and drinking its blood to quench my thirst. He suddenly appeared next to me, pulling me into a hug and planting a kiss on my throat.

"How'd I do, teacher?" he asked me, laughing and I hugged him in return, laying my head on his chest.

"You did very well Rowan. Have you quenched your thirst yet, or are you still thirsty?" I asked him softly.

"Quenched." He replied shortly and I kissed him briefly.

"Okay, well, I'll need to hunt too, so just wait here." I said and he let go of me. I willed another deer into my arms and drank its blood, before we ran back to the house. "Are you ready to meet my family as a vampire, rather than a human?" I asked him and he laughed.

"I'm ready Kristen." He replied and I nodded, taking his hand and leading him into the house, where the remaining Cullens were waiting, Renesmee and Jacob at the very back of the group.

"Here's the new improved Rowan, guys!" I said, laughing as I approached my family, Rowan's hand still in mine.

"Welcome back Rowan! How do you feel about becoming a vampire?" Alice said, flinging herself into Rowan's arms, before backing off, looking embarrassed and apologetic. "Sorry, my excitement got the better of me." She said softly and Rowan and I laughed.

"That's alright Alice." I said.

"And it feels really good to be a vampire…that way I can spend an eternity with Kristen." Rowan said, answering Alice's question. The Cullens laughed at his answer.

"Would you like to join us as part of our family, Rowan?" Carlisle asked him, smiling.

"Of course! Why wouldn't I?" Rowan replied, smiling widely. I hugged him tightly, with a force that would kill a human.

"Thank you." I whispered to him, kissing his cheek gently. Carlisle smiled.

"Okay, so I'm assuming you're aware of the condition on entering this family?" he asked Rowan, who nodded.

"Never attack humans and only hunt animals." Rowan said and Carlisle nodded, still smiling.

"Very good. Now make sure you remember that and abide by it." He said and Rowan nodded.

"Will do." He said and I tightened my grip further still on Rowan.

"How did the hunt go, by the way, Kristen?" Esme asked me, also smiling.

"He was very well-behaved. He didn't go anywhere near the humans that were nearby." I replied and she nodded approvingly. I looked at Carlisle, who was also looking as if he approved with Rowan joining the family.


	17. Chapter 16: Jacob in Trouble

_Chapter 16: Jacob in Trouble_

It was a month since Rowan had been turned, when he'd become so good at controlling his thirst that I'd decided to allow him to visit his father and baby brother. I decided that, before I made a decision that I speak to Carlisle, to get his point of view.

"Carlisle, I need to talk to you for a moment." I said to Carlisle, who turned to us, leaving what he was doing.

"What's wrong Kristen?" he asked me and I sighed.

"I've noticed that Rowan can actually control his thirst, so am I allowed to take him to visit his father and baby brother?" I asked him as Rowan appeared next to me, wrapping his arms around my waist and planting his lips on my throat. "And Rowan, stop it. I won't take you to visit your father and brother if you don't stop trying to give me a hicky…it won't work! As a vampire, you know that I do not have blood flowing through my veins, so I can't blush, bruise or get hickys!" I told him and he sighed sadly.

"Damn…" I heard him mutter under his breath.

"Okay, are you two done yet?" Carlisle asked us, snapping us out of our romantic daze.

"We're done now." I said, dragging Rowan's arms from my waist.

"Okay, now, I don't mind you taking him to see his family, but I will be sending at least Alice with you just in case anything goes wrong." He said and I nodded, smiling just as Alice appeared at the foot of the stairs, grinning.

"Here I am." She said happily, leaping gracefully down two stairs at a time.

"Okay Alice. Now will you guys be running or driving?" Carlisle asked us as Alice stood next to Rowan and I.

"Running. We don't see any point in driving if we're all vampires." I said.

"Okay. I'll see you when you get back, then. However, I suggest you hunt before you get there, just in case." He replied and we nodded as we left the house. We ran into the forest and as Rowan and Alice ran after their own specific animals, I willed a deer into my arms and drank its blood, doing the same to another deer, before I stood in the trees awaiting Alice and Rowan's return.

Eventually, they returned and we continued running towards Rowan's father's place. Upon arrival, they saw him standing outside the front of his house, Rowan's baby brother in his arms.

"Hi Dad." Rowan said, obviously happy to see his father after a month of not seeing him.

"Rowan…you look different…I almost didn't recognise you there." Mr. Pisanda said as Rowan took a step towards him.

"It's alright Dad, I haven't changed much other than becoming a vampire." He said to his father, hugging him gently. Mr. Pisanda backed off suddenly, rubbing his arms.

"Your skin is freezing. Is that another thing about vampires, that their skin is cold as ice?" he asked Rowan, who sighed, nodding.

"Yes. Generally humans find it hard to touch us, but some get used to it." Rowan replied and Mr. Pisanda nodded.

"Alright. Well, do you want to come in?" he asked us and we followed him inside the house.

"So how have you and Devlin been lately, Dad?" Rowan asked his father, holding Devlin gently in his arms.

"We've been good. So obviously you've managed to control your thirst enough to not want to hunt me while you're here." Rowan's father asked him and he nodded.

"Yes, but Kristen and Alice came along just in case something went wrong. We're trying our best to not get you hurt in any way." Rowan replied and his father nodded.

"Alright. Thank you for coming to see me, though. In fact, I was actually starting to miss you." He said and Rowan smiled, before his jaw dropped in horror.

"What is it Rowan?" I asked him softly, looking into his eyes as his father backed off, taking Devlin from him as he did so.

"Mum's d-dead?" he asked his father in shock.

"Unfortunately she is Rowan. She was killed before you were turned. I'm sorry, I should've told you sooner." I said softly to him, hugging him tightly, just in case he leapt at his father.

"Dad was thinking about her. I heard it from his mind." Rowan said slowly, looking almost furious.

"What's going on? Will he be okay?" Mr. Pisanda was sounding panicked and I turned to Alice.

"Alice I need you to calm Mr. Pisanda down while I take Rowan out of the house. I'll see you in a moment." I said to Alice and she nodded as I dragged Rowan out of the house. "Rowan, I need you to come with me. Come on Rowan. Stop fighting me." I said as I dragged him.

Eventually I managed to get Rowan outside and I sat him down.

"Rowan, I understand that you're upset about your mother's death; that's natural. Even for us vampires it's natural. Please just think that, although you're upset that your mother's dead, don't get so upset that you forget who you are. Don't forget that you're Rowan Cullen now, not just any random vampire. Come here; give me a hug." I said softly to him and he moved closer to me and hugged me tightly, burying his face in my chest and I could feel him struggling to breathe as he tried to calm himself down.

Eventually, he calmed down, lifting his head out of my chest and kissing me briefly as we stood up. We walked back to the house, where we saw Alice just leaving, looking worried and rushed. We ran up to her, worried.

"What's wrong Alice?" I asked her softly.

"Jacob's been bitten again. This time his blood's become irreversibly contaminated with venom. In other words, he's dying unless Carlisle can come up with a cure." Alice said and we ran back home, where we saw Esme standing just inside the front door.

"Kristen, Carlisle needs your help. He's having trouble keeping Jacob alive." She said to me and I nodded, running up the stairs and into the spare room, where I saw Jacob lying on a bed, a bite wound to his throat and Carlisle next to him, trying to keep him alive.

"Carlisle? You needed me?" I asked him and he looked up, nodding.

"Come here Kristen. I need you to use that scalpel to cut the crook of his elbow. Cut into the vein, because I need the blood. His blood will be the basis of this research. We're trying to find a cure to vampire venom poisoning him." He said to me and I nodded, picking up the scalpel and cutting into the crook of Jacob's elbow, into the vein. Blood spewed from the wound and Carlisle caught it in a beaker, which he then placed on a nearby collapsible table. "Could you close the door so that if anyone passes the scent of blood will be lessened? Especially if Rowan passes; because we can't deny that, although he may have controlled his thirst, he is still not immune to the scent. Not even I'm completely immune, but I need to keep myself in control if Jacob's to remain alive." He said and I nodded, closing the door and locking it. Walking back to Jacob's bedside, I sat down, applying pressure to the cut in his elbow to prevent him bleeding to death.

It took two nail-biting weeks for Carlisle and I to find a cure for Jacob's reaction, and when we finally managed it, I was so relieved that I, in my relief, suddenly hugged Carlisle. I backed off just as suddenly, embarrassed.

"Sorry Carlisle…I was just so relieved that we managed to keep him alive." I said, glad that I couldn't blush.

"That's alright Kristen; just be thankful that Esme didn't see you do that." He replied and I nodded.

"It's alright, I am. I'm also thankful that Rowan didn't see me do that, either." I added and he nodded, and I swear I saw the hint of a smile flash across his deceptively young-looking face.

Just then, Jacob groaned and we looked at him, holding our breath in hope that he was coming to and not dying. I could hear his heartbeat strengthening and I knew that he was coming to. I could tell that Carlisle knew the same, as this time he actually smiled.

Jacob slowly opened his eyes and looked first at me, then at Carlisle.

"Are you alright Jacob?" Carlisle asked him and he nodded.

"I'm alright Carlisle. How long was I out for?" he asked us.

"Two weeks." I replied and he looked moderately surprised.

"Your eyes are black, guys…haven't you hunted at all since I was bitten?" he asked us and we shook our heads.

"No, because we've been working hard to keep you alive." Carlisle said. "Would you please try and not get yourself nearly killed, because it wasn't easy saving you." He added and we laughed.

"Sorry Carlisle. I'll try not to get myself nearly killed." Jacob said and Carlisle sighed, nodding.

"Alright, well…I think you'd better get back home before your father calls us to find out where you are." Carlisle said and Jacob nodded, getting up.

"Alright, I'll see you all later." He said as he walked towards the door of the room. He walked out and Carlisle and I followed. Carlisle walked downstairs while I walked next door into my bedroom, where I saw Rowan sitting on the bed. I walked up to him, hugging him tightly.

"How'd it go Kristen?" he asked me and I smiled.

"We managed to keep him alive. He's alright now." I replied, kissing him deeply. "And how've you been dealing with the loss of your mother?" I asked him softly, laying my head on his chest.

"It's been hard, but I'm managing it." He said and I nodded.

"Alright, but if you need help dealing with it, don't hesitate to talk to me, alright? Because I have also dealt with the loss of a loved one. My previous boyfriend, remember? He was a vampire, thrown into a fire which killed him." I said, emotion beginning to weigh down on my chest as I remembered Derryn. It was over a year since he'd been killed, but I was still mourning him. Rowan suddenly hugged me, rubbing my back gently with his hand. I sighed, burying my face in his chest, trying to calm myself down.


	18. Chapter 17: Pets?

_**AN:**__ I know the content of this chapter may seem pretty much impossible, but another note at the end of the chapter will explain the 'science' behind it. Enjoy!_

_Chapter 17: Pets?_

After two weeks of being unable to hunt, with Jacob being so close to death, Carlisle and I could finally go out and hunt. It was a cool day that day, with a drizzle of rain, but it didn't stop us from quenching our thirst.

While Carlisle was off chasing after his own prey, I heard a whimpering, before I smelt the blood and heard three small hearts beating rapidly to keep the animals alive. The scent of the blood told me that the animals were dogs, and I ran towards the scent. I'd always loved dogs, and it seemed almost cruel to let three dogs die out here in the cold. I stopped near three young puppies. One was white with tan coloured patches on its body, one was black all over with both its hind paws grey in colour, and the last one was brown with a large black patch that went from the base of the neck to the base of its tiny tail, and a large white patch on its chest and stomach. The white and tan coloured puppy had a wound to the base of its skull, the blood staining its fur, while the other two puppies had wounds to their chests and the black and grey one had a wound to its right hind leg. All three of the puppies were shivering with the cold, and I took my jacket off and placed it over them to shelter them against the rain and the cold. Having done that, I willed Carlisle to my side, just as Alice appeared near us, looking at the puppies.

"They are so cute." She said, kneeling next to me.

"Okay Kristen, what's wrong?" Carlisle asked me, looking from me to the puppies. "If you want to save the puppies, you realise that they may not survive anyway." He added and I sighed.

"Carlisle, I've always had a love of dogs, and I can't just let these three puppies die out here in the cold." I said softly, looking sorrowfully at the puppies.

"But the only way they'll survive, by the looks of those wounds and the sound of their hearts, is if they become vampiric dogs, but our venom may actually kill them anyway." He said but Alice smiled, shaking her head.

"No, the venom will work. It won't poison them." She said and I smiled.

"Are you both sure you want to try this?" Carlisle asked us and we both nodded. "Okay, but don't complain to me if it doesn't work." He said and I smiled, gently placing the puppies on my coat and wrapping it gently around them.

"Come Alice, we'll find somewhere sheltered and warm for them." I said and Alice nodded as we stood up and ran with the puppies towards the house.

"The spare room will do." Alice said and I nodded as we leapt into the window. Landing in the spare room, I placed the puppies on the bed and sighed. I lifted the white and tan one to my mouth. Sinking my teeth into its throat, I made sure I injected venom without ingesting any blood that could start a frenzy. Eventually I took my mouth away from the puppy and placed it next to the other two. Alice had already injected her venom into the black and grey one, so I picked up the black, brown and white one and injected venom into it, before placing it next to the other two. All three puppies were whimpering loudly, twitching slightly with the pain.

"It's almost sad to see them like this." I sighed, looking at the puppies.

"You're right, but the pain won't last long, and pretty soon they'll be some of us." Alice said and I nodded.

"I know. Anyway, do you mind looking after them while I hunt? I didn't get a chance to hunt because I heard these three before I could actually kill an animal." I said and she nodded.

"I'll be here with them. You go hunt." She said and I smiled at her, jumping back out of the window and running into the forest. I willed a deer into my arms and drank its blood, before doing the same to another deer. With that, I ran back to the house, leaping into the spare room window and landing next to Alice.

"I'm back." I said and she laughed as we watched the puppies. They were no longer whimpering, but their twitching told me that they were still alive. I could hear their tiny hearts beating rapidly, before slowing down, before speeding up again. "You know, maybe it was kind of cruel to do this to them. I have a feeling that if their hearts keep this up, they're going to die of heart attacks before they've even been properly turned." I said and Alice smiled.

"No, they'll survive. Trust me, I can see it. They'll survive and become vampires, and you and I will be begging Carlisle and Esme to let us keep them. Rowan's going to walk in and see them and start begging them to let us keep them as well. However, I can't see Carlisle and Esme's reaction." She said and I looked moderately surprised.

"Um okay…you know Alice; I've never heard you say that much of a vision before." I said and she laughed.

Alice and I had been sitting in the spare room for three days, watching over the puppies; when I heard their hearts speed up, slow down again, before speeding up again so much that they stopped completely. Alice and I held our breath for a moment, exhaling finally when we heard them whimper.

"They're alright." Alice said and I nodded. We were both smiling about the fact that the puppies had managed to beat the odds and survive into becoming vampires.

"Come on, we'd better take them to hunt." I said and she nodded. We picked up the puppies, carrying them to the door of the spare room, and carrying them downstairs. We walked out of the house via the back door and sniffing the air to make sure there were no humans around, we set them free. They looked up at us, before running into the forest. We ran after them to make sure they were okay, and saw the white and tan puppy take down a mountain lion, the black and grey one take down a fawn and the last puppy take down an adult female deer. Once the puppies had finished feeding, we picked them up again and walked back to the house, to see Carlisle and Esme standing in the kitchen, arms folded across their chests.

"They survived, then?" Carlisle asked us and we nodded.

"What were you two thinking?" Esme asked us and Alice and I sighed.

"I've always loved dogs, and the thought that three puppies were dying was nearly unbearable. My mind only worked on the fact that saving them was the only option. And the only way to save them was to bite them." I said and Alice nodded.

"Please can we keep them, Esme? Pleeeaaase?" she begged Esme and the latter sighed.

"Alice, Kristen, I don't know why you didn't think through what you did before you did it, but…I can't think of what else to do with them, now that you've gone and made them vampires." She said. "Carlisle, you explain it to them." She added to her husband, who sighed.

"Girls, you do realise that–" he began, just as Rowan walked into the room and saw the puppies.

"Oh my god! They are adorable!" Rowan exclaimed as he looked at the puppies. "Can we keep them Carlisle?" he asked Carlisle, who sighed.

"Guys, you do realise that those dogs, now that they're vampires, will need to be carefully trained and monitored to not attack humans. Unless you're willing to train them in that way, we'll have to get rid of them." Carlisle said and Rowan, Alice and I nodded enthusiastically.

"Of course we're willing." Rowan said, taking the tan and white one from me and holding it gently in his arms.

"Thank you Carlisle!" Alice said excitedly and Rowan, Carlisle, Esme and I looked at her incredulously.

"Why are you thanking me Alice?" Carlisle asked her. "I haven't made up my mind yet." He said and she laughed.

"I saw that you're going to say yes. I had a vision that you'll say yes and we'll keep the puppies." She said and he sighed, nodding.

"Fine, but remember what I said." Carlisle said and we nodded as we carried the puppies up the stairs and into the spare room.

"You know, they'll need names." I said and Alice grinned as we placed the puppies on the bed.

"I can see that we'll call back and grey one Jumpy, we'll call the white and tan one Dalmatio and the last one Reggie." Alice said, pointing to each dog in turn and we sighed.

"Well, we can't really argue with her decisions, can we?" Rowan said and I nodded.

"No, you're right Rowan. Okay, Jumpy, Dalmatio and Reggie it is, then." I said and Alice grinned.

"Okay, we'd better go downstairs. Bella and Edward need our help. I can't see who's in trouble, though, so I think it's Renesmee." She said, her eyes suddenly going blank and her face falling. We immediately locked the puppies in the spare room and ran downstairs and followed Alice out into the forest, where I saw Sedren and a group of twelve other vampires laughing as they tried to get past Edward and Bella to Renesmee, who was being held by Jacob. I immediately willed Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper to us to help us, but even then I knew we were outnumbered. We all fought our hardest against Sedren and his gang, tearing eleven of Sedren's twelve comrades into pieces, but Sedren and his remaining comrade both grabbed Rowan.

"If you move a muscle, this boy dies." Sedren said and we all stopped in our tracks. The strange vampire was holding Rowan tight to him, his teeth at his throat.

_Kill the one that's not holding me!_ I thought, instantly knowing that Rowan was telepathic, as I knew that I wasn't being held by a vampire. All the other Cullens other than Edward and Bella looked stunned. I willed Sedren into our midst and the Cullens all snapped out of their surprised daze and attacked him.

"Run you idiot! Take him to where the other captives are!" Sedren managed to yell before I tore his head off and Alice tried to run to get Rowan, but the vampire had already disappeared with him. We burned the vampires, before running after Rowan's scent, but we lost it where a set of tire skid marks began. We saw no point in following the skid marks because they ended about two metres away. I fell to my knees, emotion weighing down on my chest. I couldn't bear the thought that Rowan would be killed, and I would never see him again. I was only vaguely aware of Carlisle lifting me into his arms and carrying me back to the house and into my room, where he set me down.

"I'm sorry Kristen. We're going to try what we can to get him back, but I can't make any promises." He said softly, closing the door behind him as he left the room.

_**AN:**__ as I said at the start of the chapter, this may seem pretty much impossible, but the science behind it is as follows. Vampire venom is only poisonous to humans that have an animal side to them (e.g. Were-animals and Shape Shifters), however, it's not poisonous to 'normal' humans and animals. Kristen did not realise this was the case, but she wanted to take the risk in order to save the dogs' lives._


	19. Chapter 18: Betrayal

_Chapter 18: Betrayal_

"Kristen, Rowan's coming back, but he's not going to be alone." Alice said softly to me, two weeks after Rowan had gone missing. Hearing her words gave me new hope.

"You mean that he's alive?" I asked her softly, a smile creeping onto my face.

"Yes, and he's coming back. I can't be sure when, but he's not coming back alone." She said and I groaned.

"He didn't turn any human, did he?" I asked her, but she shook her head. She wasn't smiling.

"No, but he did cheat on you. I should've foreseen it earlier. He's bringing a human back, but she's pregnant." She said and my head snapped up. The smile disappeared from my face.

"But if he'd had sex with her, she would've been able to feel how cold his skin was. Does she know what we are?" I asked her and she sighed.

"Well, obviously she does, if she managed to get pregnant." Alice said and I groaned again.

"Damn him! Did he forget about me, or something?" I asked her, but she shook her head, her hand on my shoulder.

"I doubt it, but you know what men are like when they see a girl, they get all excited down there. Even vampires, Kristen. All men are like that. They see a girl, and they do their level best to get her into bed with him. I hate to say it, but I know that even Jasper's like that. He may pretend not to be like that, but he can't ignore it when a girl walks onto the scene. Rowan was a teenager when he was turned, was he not?" she asked me and I sighed.

"Yes, he was eighteen." I said and she nodded.

"Exactly. Eighteen year old guys are not immune to these feelings they get whenever a girl comes into range. He is just a teenager, after all. Don't automatically break up with him when he comes back, but don't be surprised when he brings the human with him. Give him another chance, okay? Because he'll be likely to change. He'll see you and the other girl will barely matter to him any more." she said softly to comfort me.

"And how's he going to react when he hears that his father and brother recently died in a car accident?" I asked her and she sighed.

"Well, obviously he'll be upset, but he won't hate you for it. He'll know automatically that you had nothing to do with their deaths, that it was just fate." Alice said and I nodded.

Rowan arrived at the front door two weeks later, and I opened it and saw that he was, in fact, not alone. The human that was with him looked almost skeletal, besides her enormous balloon of a stomach. She was pale, and I could hear that her heartbeat was weak. She had long black hair and green eyes.

"Well done Rowan, you managed to get a human girl pregnant without my knowledge." I said with a hint of sarcasm in my voice. Both he and the girl jumped at my icy tone.

"I'm sorry Kristen, but I thought you'd left me for dead." He said and I shook my head in frustration.

"You two had better come in, before any humans catch sight of her." I said to him, indicating the girl. He sighed, leading her into the house. "Carlisle!" I called and Carlisle appeared at the top of the stairs and, catching sight of Rowan and the pregnant human, ran down the stairs, stopping next to me.

"Oh god. Didn't you warn him at all, Kristen?" he asked me and I rolled my eyes.

"Carlisle, I did warn him, but before he was turned, that's all. And how was I supposed to know that he'd go and have sex with a human girl and get her pregnant! I'm his girlfriend, for god's sake!" I said, anger beginning to boil over in my chest. Carlisle knew the risk of an angry vampire with a human nearby and told Rowan to sit the human down while he calmed me down.

"Kristen, calm down! I understand that there was no way you could've known without Alice telling you. But you should've realised by now the risks of having a teenage boy around, even if he is a vampire. I could almost say that I was like him as a teenager, except that I was human at his age. Teenage boys can't help themselves. It's almost a necessity to get a girl into bed with them, so you can't say that he exactly knew what he was doing." Carlisle said to me and I sighed.

"I guess you're right, although it doesn't change the fact that he betrayed my trust." I said, shooting a glare at the human next to Rowan.

"Yes, I understand that you're upset about this, but you need to remember that he is a teenager." He said to me and I nodded.

"Fine, but I can't forgive him that easily. And I reckon that if we turn the girl, that the baby will die. If that's what you're planning on doing." I added, an evil smile creeping onto my face.

"How did you know what I was thinking?" he asked me innocently, before laughing. "But yes, we should probably try to get rid of the baby, but that means having the mother join us. Are you sure you want that?" he asked me and I sighed.

"I'd take anything, as long as two things happen. First, the baby's aborted, and second, Rowan does not go anywhere alone with the girl." I said and Carlisle sighed.

"Alright, but we'll wait two weeks after she's been turned before we take the baby out of her. By then the baby should be dead…I hope. And then you can do what you like with Rowan to prevent him seeing the girl, but _do not_, under any circumstances, kill the girl. In fact, she's probably upset to think that the man, who she thought to be single, already had a girlfriend. She's probably feeling ashamed about the fact that she had sex with a man who was already taken." Carlisle said and I nodded as we turned back to the human girl and Rowan.

"Rowan, Carlisle and I need to go and get some supplies for her, because the baby's obviously draining her blood. In order to keep her alive, we need to get some blood from the hospital and have her drink some. I need you to stay here and look after her until we get back, okay?" I asked Rowan and he nodded. I purposely thought nothing of my conversation with Carlisle, in case he tried to read my thoughts.

"Alright. And Kristen, I really am sorry about this." He said, and I could tell it was true. I sighed, nodding.

"Okay, apology accepted. And if Esme comes asking where Carlisle is, say that he's at the hospital getting supplies for the pregnant human." I said and he nodded as Carlisle and I walked out of the house and ran at top speed to Forks Hospital.


	20. Chapter 19: Plotting

_Chapter 19: Plotting_

Arriving at the hospital, I followed Carlisle to the blood bank and there, we got several bags of blood, which we then carried back to the house.

"Alright, now we need to feed her the blood, but we won't turn her yet. We need to ask Rowan if he's willing to risk the life of his unborn child. If he doesn't want to, we're going to have to wait until he's gone out hunting before we give the mother the contaminated blood." He said to me and I nodded. He poured some blood into a plastic cup, which he then gave to me and told me to give to the girl.

"Alright." I said, walking to the lounge. I handed the cup to the girl and told her that because her baby was draining her blood, she needed to replenish the levels. She nodded and took a sip, making a face as she swallowed it. "Rowan, Carlisle and I need to have a talk to you. In private, though." I told Rowan, who nodded, sighing as he got to his feet. He followed me to the kitchen, where we saw Carlisle standing, leaning against the work bench.

"You two wanted to talk to me?" Rowan asked Carlisle and I, and we nodded.

"Rowan, I've just been thinking that getting rid of the baby could save us all a lot of trouble. When Renesmee was born, there was a lot of trouble in many ways. Firstly, Bella almost died, and Edward managed to turn her just in time, and after that we had vampires left, right and centre trying to kill her – and us in the meantime." Carlisle explained and Rowan was looking increasingly unimpressed.

"Where is this going?" he asked Carlisle. "If you want to kill Helen and the baby, you're dreaming. It's not going to happen." He said firmly.

"Rowan, we're not planning on killing the mother; but the child will cause several problems for us. Firstly with it possibly killing its mother when it's born, and having a half-vampire means teaching it to not attack humans." Carlisle said, but Rowan shook his head firmly.

"Rowan, please see reason. We can't force you to do this, but half-vampires are dangerous creatures. Please Rowan, I know it's the life of your child that we're talking about, but you need to realise what is best for everyone." I said softly to him.

"No. I refuse to have the life of my unborn child taken away. I can read its mind too. Neither of you could ever understand the attachment that a father feels towards his child! You can't even begin to understand what I feel towards that baby!" he began shouting at us, before storming off. I fell to my knees, my head buried in my hands. Carlisle sighed, kneeling next to me and placing his hand on my shoulder.

"Kristen, don't let it get to you. He does have a point; we don't know what he's feeling at the moment. But he will have to hunt eventually, and then we'll be able to get to the girl. If we can get some venom into the blood that we'll then give to her, we'll be able to have her in the process of being turned by the time he gets back. After that, we'll only have to wait about two weeks before we take the baby from her womb, and hopefully it'll be dead by then." He said softly to me so that only I could hear him.

"The two weeks will ensure that the baby is dead?" I asked him and he smiled, nodding.

"Exactly. You seem very interested in the medical side of things…do you want to be a nurse, or something?" he asked me and I smiled slightly, nodding. "We'll see. I can teach you what I know, and we may be able to get you a job at Forks Hospital. What do you think?" he asked me and I smiled.

"That sounds good, thanks Carlisle." I said.

"Okay then, this'll be your first bit of training you'll receive. We'll wait until Rowan has to go hunt before we make our move. But don't think anything about it or he'll know our plan." He said and I nodded, immediately putting what he said to the back of my mind.

Eventually, Rowan had to go hunt, and as soon as he'd run out of the house and into the forest, Carlisle and I moved fast to ready the blood that we'd give to the human girl. Carlisle placed some fabric over the top of a glass beaker filled with blood, and I bit into it. I handed the beaker back to Carlisle, who smiled at me.

"Now do you know how that worked?" he asked me and I shook my head. "Well, when we bite into something, the pressure the object or body creates on our gums presses on the venom glands, which then pump the venom out around the teeth. Now, before Rowan gets back, we'd better give this to the human. The venom will 'reproduce' in her blood, and it'll affect her heart in the way that the blood will be so full of venom that the body won't be able to continue functioning like normal and the heart will stop while the brain and everything continues functioning." He said and I nodded as we walked into the lounge, where the human was lying on the couch.

"Here you go, the blood that you need to sustain yourself and your baby." I said, handing the cup of envenomed blood to her and she accepted it gratefully. "What's your name, by the way?" I asked her innocently.

"Helen." She replied and I nodded as she drank the blood. Shortly afterwards I heard her heart speed up as she lost consciousness. Her heart was now slowing so dramatically that it was on the verge of stopping.

"Now we have to get her up to the spare room so it looks as though she just lost consciousness from difficulties with the baby. We can say that she's dying when he gets back and then I can bite her enough to break the skin but not to inject any more venom into her blood. If I inject any more venom, it could kill her before she's turned, and Rowan will know." He said, lifting her into his arms and carrying her up to the spare room as Alice ran into the house with the puppies with her. I smiled as Jumpy leapt excitedly at me.

"How's the training going, Alice?" I asked her as I lifted Jumpy into my arms and hugged him gently.

"Good. Jumpy is now the only one who still goes towards humans. Although, he's also very stubborn. I'm finding it hard to teach him. And I can see that he'll learn not to go near humans when hunting, but only under your instruction." She replied and I nodded.

"Alright. I'd be happy to take on the challenge of training a vampiric dog." I said and she smiled.

"Thanks Kristen. You're the best." She said.

"By the way, can you see the future of Rowan and the human girl?" I asked her.

"Hold on, let me see…" she said, her eyes going blank. "Rowan's going to come back into the house and find her missing. You're going to tell him that she's upstairs, but is injured and he'll follow you upstairs and into the spare room, where Carlisle will explain that she lost consciousness and is dying. He'll say to Rowan that the only way to save her is if she's turned, and Rowan will grudgingly agree for him to turn her. You'll warn him of the risk of losing his baby, but he'll say that he doesn't mind as long as she remains alive. Carlisle will then pretend to bite the human after the infected blood you two gave her to turn her without leaving a bite mark." She said and I nodded as we ascended the stairs, placing the puppies in my bedroom, before she said that she'd better get to Jasper. I walked down the stairs again, seeing Rowan run in and look around for Helen.

"Where's Helen, Kristen?" he asked me and I sighed.

"Rowan, she lost consciousness due to difficulties with the baby. Carlisle's with her in the spare room." I replied and he nodded as we walked together up the stairs. Carlisle was bending over Helen when we entered the room. He looked up as we approached. Rowan ran to Helen's side, stroking her hair gently, pushing it back off her face.

"Is she okay, Carlisle?" he asked him. I could hear Helen's heart slowing to the point of stopping. I knew Rowan could hear it too, because he looked up at Carlisle and I, his expression panicked.

"Rowan, calm down. Kristen and I will do everything in our power to save her life." Carlisle explained to him and he nodded. "Kristen, come over here, please." He added to me and I walked towards him. We worked hard, but still her heart refused to go back to its normal rate.

"Rowan, I'm sorry but we're losing her. The only way that we can save her life is if we turn her. But in doing that, you could lose the baby. It's your decision now. We won't turn her if you don't want us to, but if we don't you'll lose both her and the baby." I explained, knowing from Alice's vision that he would decide to turn her.

"Do whatever you have to; just keep her alive." He finally said and I nodded as Carlisle sighed and pushed her hair back from her throat and bit her. He bit her hard enough to break the skin, but not to inject venom into her already contaminated blood.

Eventually he took his mouth from her throat and covered up the wound to prevent her bleeding to death.

"Alright. She should be alright now. We just need to wait a couple of days for her to regain consciousness." He said and Rowan nodded, looking upset. I walked over to him and hugged him.

"What's wrong Rowan?" I asked him and he looked up at me, hugging me tightly.

"This decision that I made…it means that I could lose my baby…it hurts to think about it." He whispered and I lay my head on his shoulder.

"Rowan, I know it hurts, but it's the only thing that we can do for her at the moment. If we didn't turn her, you'd lose both of them." Carlisle explained softly, walking over.

"I realise this Carlisle, but it still hurts. I am risking the life of my baby, and I said before that I wouldn't. I just feel so guilty." He said and I sighed, beginning to feel guilty that I'd agreed with Carlisle to do this.


	21. Chapter 20: Discovery Part 1

_Chapter 20: Discovery__ (Part 1)_

Helen regained consciousness two days later, and Rowan had never left her side. Carlisle and I took turns watching over her in case she died before she was turned, and I was watching her when I heard her heart stop, but her breathing remained strong. She opened her eyes and sat up slowly.

"Rowan?" she asked Rowan and he smiled.

"Are you alright Helen?" he asked her.

"My throat feels like it's on fire." She said.

"The thirst. Come, we need to hunt." He said and I stood up.

"I'm coming too. Just wait here for a moment, because I need to let Carlisle know where we are." I said and they nodded. I walked out of the room, just as Alice ran up to me, looking worried.

"Kristen, I can see a human dying at your hunting trip. Helen's going to kill a human! You need to lead them towards the mountain, where the humans aren't going to go." She said and I looked shocked.

"Are you sure?" I asked her and she nodded. "Crap. Alright, I'll take that on board. Thanks for letting me know." I told her and she smiled slightly.

"And I'll let Carlisle know that you've taken Rowan and Helen out hunting." She added and I nodded.

"Thanks Alice." I said, walking back into the room. "Okay guys, are you ready?" I asked them and they nodded, following me to the window. We jumped out and landed in the forest, running at top speed towards the mountains, where Alice told me we would be safe.

Just as we were running, however, the scent of human caught up to us and Helen disappeared.

"Where'd Helen go?" Rowan asked me as I looked around for her.

"I have a bad feeling about this." I said and we followed the scent of human blood that was now reaching us, to see Helen kneeling next to the corpse of a human, the human's blood dribbling from the corner of her mouth.

"Helen!" Rowan said, running to her side. "Helen, we don't attack humans! We live on the blood of animals, not that of humans." He told her and she looked down at the human's corpse still lying on the ground.

"Oops." She said. I wasn't fooled. I could tell there was no remorse about killing the human.

"Rowan, you need to get her back home before we have any more accidents." I told Rowan and he nodded, taking Helen by the hand and leading her back towards the house at a run. I sighed, looking at the corpse of the human. I'd made up my mind. I willed Carlisle next to me and he looked once at the human and instantly knew.

"She killed her, didn't she?" he asked me and I nodded, kneeling by the female human's corpse. He sighed, doing the same. "This means that we'll have to get the police on the scene. Do you have your cell phone on you?" he asked me and I nodded, taking it out of my pocket. "Good. Could you please call 911 and get the police here. And remember that while humans are around, I'm your father, so don't call me Carlisle while they're around." He smiled and I sighed, nodding.

"Should I sound panicked?" I asked him and he rolled his eyes.

"Up to you. Remember, you and I were hiking and found her lying dead here." He said and I smiled at him, dialling 911 into my phone, resolving to sound panicked that I'd found a girl dead.

"US emergency service; do you require the police, ambulance or fire fighters?" the mechanical voice asked me.

"Police." I replied shortly, breathing deeply to make it more real. I heard a ringing as I was passed to Forks Police Station.

"Hello, Forks Police, Officer Sanders speaking. How may I help you today?" the voice of a man answered the phone.

"Hi, um I was hiking with my father and we found a human lying dead in the forest." I said, trying to sound as panicked as I could.

"Human?" he asked me, sounding curious. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Carlisle sigh, placing his head in his hand, shaking his head slowly.

"Sorry I wasn't very clear. I said woman, rather than human." I added quickly, hoping he wouldn't comprehend that I actually had said human. It appeared he didn't.

"Okay, could I please have your name?" he asked me.

"Kristen Cullen." I replied.

"And how old are you Kristen?" he asked.

"Fifteen." Carlisle mouthed to me and I nodded.

"Um fifteen." I replied, trying to sound like a teenager that had just found a woman dead.

"Okay and you said that your father was there with you?" he asked me kindly, so as to calm me down.

"Yes." I told him.

"May I have your father's name?"

"Dr. Carlisle Cullen." I said.

"And where did you find the body?"

"In the forest south of Forks Hospital."

"How deep in the forest was the body?" he asked. God he asked a lot of questions.

"About twenty metres." I replied.

"Alright. And you haven't moved the body at all?"

"No." I replied shortly, still trying to sound panicked.

"Okay, I'll be sending a team down shortly. Tell your father to wait there for us. And please don't touch the body." He said.

"Okay." I replied, hanging up. I sat back down, slowing my breathing. "You know Carlisle, Alice had a vision that this would happen." I said to Carlisle. "She told me to take Rowan and Helen up to the mountains to prevent any humans being killed, but we caught the scent of her," I motioned to the human. "And Helen lost it. She disappeared from our sight, and I knew that she was off chasing a human." I explained and Carlisle nodded.

"I had a bad feeling something like this would happen shortly before she regained consciousness." He explained and I nodded. "I'm actually almost regretting that we turned her. If we hadn't turned her, this wouldn't have happened."

"Yes Carlisle, but we'd also have another half-vampire child to deal with, and if she died while giving birth, Rowan probably would've killed himself." I replied and he sighed, nodding.

"You're right. This was one situation that we had two choices, both of which were completely ludicrous. One was leave the mother human and have her die in labour, which would still leave us with the child, or the other was turn her and risk the baby staying alive after our efforts to kill it. The second one was also risking the mother letting slip while hunting and killing a human like happened here." He said and I nodded once.

"But another thing was that when we caught her with the human's blood dribbling from the corner of her mouth, Rowan explained to her that as Cullens we don't attack humans, and all she said was 'oops' without any remorse in her voice." I said and Carlisle looked thoughtful.

"Hmmm…wouldn't Rowan have heard the lack of remorse in her voice, though?" he asked me.

"No, it was very subtle, but I wasn't fooled. I could hear that it didn't really matter to her that she'd killed a human." I replied and he shook his head slowly.

"So basically, if you'd tried to do anything to stop her, she would still have tried?" He said, phrasing it as a question, even though I knew he was talking half to himself.

"Exactly. It's not something we could've avoided." I replied. He looked at me, and noticed the anguish on my face.

"Don't beat yourself up about this Kristen. What happened is in the past. We need to make sure the police are aware that more people could die, but we're telling them that she was killed by an animal. We can't risk exposing our kind. We'd be sent to mental institutions if we tell them that she was killed by a vampire." He laughed humourlessly.

"But it's not like a mental institution would be able to hold a real vampire for long. Those institutions are built for humans, not our kind." I said and he nodded, a smile briefly crossing his face.

"True." He said, just as the sound of sirens wailing told us the police were on their way. "Kristen, I want you to sit near that tree. Because they told us not to touch the body, we need to pretend we don't know how she died." He said.

"But wouldn't a smart doctor, after finding a woman dead first try and revive her, before checking how she died?" I asked him as we walked towards the nearest tree and sat leaning against it.

"Not this doctor. This doctor knows that she's dead, and this doctor also knows how she died." He said and we both laughed. I needed some humour in the day after catching Helen killing a human and knowing she felt no remorse about killing the human. The sound of the sirens came nearer and they stopped as we heard car doors opening and closing and several voices. We could smell the police approaching. Some scents were more appealing than others, though none of them were at all appealing to me. "Kristen, pretend to look panicked so it looks like I'm trying to calm you down…I'm sure that's what a real father would to his daughter if she panics." He said and I nodded, beginning to hyperventilate again. Carlisle placed his hand on my shoulder, just as the police ran onto the scene. They looked once at the body, and some knelt next to it while others walked towards us.

"Good afternoon Dr. Cullen." One of them said. "I'm Officer Sanders." He said and Carlisle nodded.

"Good afternoon Officer Sanders." Carlisle replied.

"I need to ask you and your daughter a few questions, regarding the girl." Officer Sanders explained.

"Ask away." Carlisle said.

"Firstly, approximately when did you come across the body?" Sanders asked us.

"At about one thirty." Carlisle replied.

"And who found the body?"

"My daughter. She saw the body first and told me. I did what I could, but the girl was dead." Carlisle replied.

"Did you see who or what killed her when you found her?" Sanders asked me.

"No, whatever killed her was gone by the time we got there." I replied, still hyperventilating. Carlisle tightened his grip on my shoulder slightly.

"It's okay Kristen." He whispered to me.

"Alright. Dr. Cullen, after finding that the girl was in fact dead, what happened after that?" Sanders asked Carlisle.

"After discovering the girl was dead, I instructed my daughter to call 911 so we could get some police here. While she was doing that, I checked her over to see the cause of her death." Carlisle explained.

"And what was the verdict?" Sanders asked him, obviously becoming curious.

"She was killed by an animal. However, I'm not sure what type of animal it was." He replied and Sanders nodded as he and the remaining policemen walked back towards the body. I could hear their hearts speed up whenever they came near us, and I knew that their natural self-preservation instincts were warning them that we were dangerous. However, I also knew that they weren't consciously aware of the 'danger' that Carlisle and I posed to them. Carlisle still had his hand on my shoulder, his grip firm.

Eventually the policemen loaded the body into their car and drove off back to the police station.

"No doubt this'll reach the papers." Carlisle said and I nodded.

"I agree. The media just can't keep their noses out of things like this." I agreed and Carlisle laughed grimly.

"Come on, we'd better get back home before Esme starts worrying." He said and we ran back home, where we were met by none other than Esme standing in the doorway of the house, hands on hips.

"Where have you two been?" she asked us sternly.

"Esme, I went hunting with Helen and Rowan, and Helen ended up killing a human, and I had to get Carlisle there so he knew. He then told me to call the police, and they took forever to finally take the body to the station." I explained and Esme visibly relaxed, before looking shocked as what I'd just said sank in.

"Wait, Helen killed a human?" she asked us and we nodded grimly.

"Yes. And according to Kristen, she felt no remorse about killing the human." Carlisle said and Esme's jaw dropped, just as Alice ran in, looking horrified.

"Did you just say that Helen felt no remorse about killing that human?" Alice asked me.

"Unfortunately yes. All she said was 'oops' and there was no hint of remorse in her voice. It was subtle, however, so Rowan was easily fooled into thinking she was sorry for killing the human." I explained and Alice shook her head.

"But if she's killing humans without remorse, she shouldn't be part of our family. We never attack humans…Carlisle; she shouldn't be with us if she's killing people. We shouldn't have anything to do with her." Esme said to her husband, who sighed, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Esme, I know where you're coming from, but you know that I believe in second chances. I think that we see how she goes at her next hunt, but I will have to accompany her. Whoever else needs to hunt at the time can join us." He said softly to his wife.

"He's right Esme. Besides, we eventually need to get that child out of her…and we need to keep her with us until after we've done that." I agreed with Carlisle, and Esme nodded, sighing.

"Okay. I just don't think it would be wise to have her remain a part of this family." She said and Carlisle smiled slightly at her.

"I know Esme." He said and I looked at Alice. She nodded at me and we walked away to give them some privacy. I walked upstairs and into my bedroom, where Jumpy leapt at me and I caught him, hugging him gently, burying my face in his fur.

"Good boy Jumpy." I whispered and he wagged his tail slowly. Apparently he could sense my emotions, because he licked my cheek gently. I lifted my face out of his fur and smiled at him. He looked at me with those golden doggy eyes of his as though saying 'what's wrong mistress?' and I couldn't help but smile. "Don't worry Jumpy." I whispered to him and he cocked his head at me as though he understood, before jumping down from my arms. I couldn't help but laugh then. He was being so puppy-like that it was impossible to remain feeling sad when he was around.

Two weeks later, I was sitting with Alice at the back of the house, watching Jumpy, Dalmatio and Reggie chase each other around, when Carlisle appeared next to us, watching the puppies with amusement.

"They really are amusing. They make life interesting." He said, sitting next to us. I laughed then, I really couldn't help it. Life was indeed more interesting since they'd joined the family. "And I can't believe I don't even know their names yet." He laughed and I smiled. In my peripheral vision I could see Alice struggling not to laugh, but she failed and burst out laughing.

"Alice be nice." I laughed, before looking at the dogs. "Reggie!" I called out and little Reggie ran over. I lifted him into my arms, praising him as I handed him to Carlisle. He smiled as he took Reggie from me, looking carefully at him.

"So this is Reggie?" he asked me as he let Reggie go again.

"That's Reggie…" I repeated. "Dalmatio!" I called and Dalmatio came running at me, leaping into my arms. I held her gently, praising her as I handed her to Carlisle. I looked at Alice and saw that she was still laughing, and I sighed, shaking my head slowly as I looked back towards Carlisle, who was still holding Dalmatio. "That's Dalmatio." I said and he nodded as he let her join her siblings. "Jumpy! Come here, boy!" I called and Jumpy looked up, cocked his head at me, before running over, leaping into my arms. I could hear Carlisle laughing next to me. I handed Jumpy to him, smiling.

"Not as quick to respond as the others?" he asked me and I knew it was a rhetorical question. I smiled.

"It's not that, he's just a bit harder to train than the others." I explained and he nodded understandingly.

"So how is the training going, anyway?" he asked me.

"Alice trained the other two, but Jumpy's proving difficult to train. He's slowly getting there, though. Reggie and Dalmatio are now even able to ignore the scent of humans. Jumpy is still unable to ignore the human scent. Hopefully, pretty soon we won't have to lock them in my bedroom when we're not around, and they'll be able to run around." I said and he nodded.

"I see what you mean. Kristen, I think it's time we got that baby out of Helen. And in order to do that, I need your ability to put your strength into objects." He said to me and I nodded, turning to Alice.

"Alice, are you able to look after the puppies for a while?" I asked her and she nodded as Carlisle allowed Jumpy to rejoin his siblings. I followed Carlisle into the house and towards Helen, who was talking to a very grumpy Rosalie. I could hear their conversation begin to accelerate towards an argument.

"Helen?" Carlisle called to her and she looked around. "Helen, we need you to come with us for a second. We need to get that baby out of you." He told her and she nodded, standing up and walking towards us. I saw Rosalie look relieved.

"Thank you. If you hadn't come, I swear I'd have killed her." She mouthed and I smiled at her.

"Not yet you're not." I mouthed back, still smiling.

"Come on Kristen." I heard Carlisle say and I looked around and saw that both he and Helen were at the foot of the stairs, waiting for me. I was by their side in less than a second and we walked together up the stairs, where we came across Esme, who was cleaning.

"Where are you going?" she asked us curiously.

"We need to get the baby out of Helen. We shouldn't be long." Carlisle said and she nodded as we walked towards the spare room. "By the way, is it just me, or can anyone else hear a tiny heart beating rapidly?" he asked us after closing the door. I listened hard and, sure enough, I could hear a miniature heart beating rapidly.

"It's not just you Carlisle. I can hear it too. Unless we're both going insane." I said and he looked slightly relieved, before it hit us like a brick. "Oh crap." I whispered.

"I agree Kristen. Either we haven't left it long enough, or the venom wasn't strong enough." Carlisle said softly to me, and Helen looked at us curiously.

"What are you two talking about?" she asked us.

"Don't worry. We need you to lay down, so we can get this thing out of you." Carlisle told her and she nodded, laying down on the bed in the corner of the room. Carlisle grabbed a scalpel out of his work bag and handed it to me. "This is where your ability will come in handy. Normally the scalpel won't do anything to her, but your ability will give it the strength it needs." He said.

"But I don't know where to make the cut." I told him and he sighed.

"Make the cut along the centre of her stomach. Here, I'll place my finger where I want you to cut, just so long as you don't cut my finger off." He said, chuckling as he placed his finger on Helen's stomach. Putting my strength into the scalpel, I cut into her stomach, just above Carlisle's finger.

Eventually, we had the child out, but it was definitely not dead. It was as we feared. The baby was still alive. And there were two of them.

"It appears we were mistaken Kristen, in thinking the child wouldn't survive the mother being turned." Carlisle sighed.

"You're right. We'd better tell Rowan, then." I said, but he shook his head.

"Not yet. I still need to test something." He said and I nodded. I looked briefly back at Helen and saw that her stomach had healed. Carlisle seemed to have seen where I was looking. "She can go now." He told me and I nodded.

"Helen, you can go." I said and she nodded, walking out of the room and downstairs. Carlisle was holding the babies, looking at them curiously. He handed one to me, and I saw the one he handed me was a little girl.

"How did you survive, you persistent little bugger?" he muttered to the one he held, before sighing and walking to the linen cupboard and wrapping the tiny baby in a towel to prevent it freezing to death. He threw another towel to me to wrap the little girl in. "Kristen, we need to have some tests done on this one. None of the tests will kill him, but we need to test two things. First: how they survived, and second: what the venom we used to turn his mother did to him and his sibling." He said and I looked surprised.

"The baby's a boy?" I asked him and he nodded, smiling slightly.

"The baby's a boy." He repeated and I sighed. "What gender is the one you're holding?" he asked me and I smiled.

"A girl." I replied and he nodded.

"Alright. First, we need to test what the venom that turned their mother did to them." He said, handing the baby boy to me. I held him gently in my arms, and I was instantly in love. Maternal instincts were taking over my brain, and I held the children close; making sure none of their skin touched mine. I listened to the steady beating of their tiny hearts and their slow, steady breaths as they slept in my arms. I heard Carlisle come back into the room, Alice behind him, obviously curious.

"Oh my God." She breathed, looking at the babies. "How on earth did they survive that?" she asked and I sighed, smiling down at the tiny infants asleep in my arms.

"We really have no idea. But one thing's for sure…I can't let these little ones die." I replied and she smiled at the children as she took the little girl into her arms. Carlisle looked at us crooning over the children and smiled.

"Let me guess Kristen…maternal instincts?" he asked me and I looked up at him. Still smiling, I nodded. "Thought so. Okay, bring him here. Before Rowan gets back, we need to have an answer to what the venom did to them." He sighed and I approached him slowly.


	22. Chapter 21: Discovery Part 2

**_AN:_** Those who've read the original Chapter 20: Discovery (Part 1), before 6/5/09 will need to re-read it, as I've made a few adjustments that could cause this chapter to make no sense. If you haven't read the previous chapter before the 6th, please disregard this note. Enjoy!

_Chapter 21: Discovery (Part 2)_

Reaching Carlisle, I held the child close while he handed me a beaker with some thin fabric over the top of it.

"Even half vampires have venom; it's just not strong enough to turn anyone. I want to test his venom, to see if it's any stronger." He said and I nodded.

"Okay. Just a sec while I adjust him." I said, handing the beaker back to him and adjusting the little boy in my arms so he was in a kind of sitting position. I took the beaker from Carlisle, just as the baby yawned and opened his eyes, looking curiously at me.

"She's going to have trouble. Here Kristen, pass me the beaker while you try and get his mouth open." Alice said to me and I smiled gratefully, handing her the beaker while I gently opened the infant's tiny mouth. I was surprised to see that he had tiny teeth.

"He has teeth." I said, my surprise evident in my voice.

"He does. This makes it easier for us to get his venom." Carlisle said, smiling. I sighed as Alice held the beaker in the child's mouth. I saw the baby bite into the fabric and a clear liquid spill from his mouth into the beaker. "That's enough Alice." Carlisle finally said and Alice took the beaker from the baby's mouth and handed it to Carlisle. "Thank you. Now we need to just wait for the results of this test." He said and I smiled.

"Rowan's coming." Alice said, and sure enough, the door opened about a second later and Rowan stepped into the room. He took one look at me with the tiny baby boy in my arms, then at Carlisle with the beaker, then at Alice standing nearby with a smile on her face and another tiny baby in her arms, before looking back at me and the baby. He walked slowly towards us, stopping when he reached me.

"Are they my children?" he asked me almost breathlessly.

"Yes. This one's a little boy. And the one Alice's holding is a little girl." I replied, handing the baby boy to him. "Be careful not to let his skin touch yours for too long, or he'll freeze to death." I warned him softly and he nodded, wrapping his son more securely in the blanket while Alice approached me and handed the girl to me.

"How did they survive?" he asked Carlisle, while looking at his son.

"We're not sure. We had to get a sample of his venom to find out what my venom did to them when it turned their mother." Carlisle replied, indicating the beaker he was holding. Rowan looked up at this point and nodded.

"I'd decided you'd make a much better mother than Helen. After she killed that human, I'm now dead scared she'd kill her own children." He whispered to me and I smiled at him. Carlisle cleared his throat. Rowan and I both looked up at him.

"Alright, well…I'd better go see how strong his venom is. I'd say from their heartbeats, however, that they're nothing more than ¾ vampires. Although I doubt they're half-vampires…it just doesn't seem logical." He said and I nodded, still smiling.

"And I'd better take the puppies hunting." Alice said, smiling at me as she and Carlisle walked out of the room.

"Kristen, I really am sorry about what Helen and I had done…I really had thought you'd forgotten about me and left me for dead." He said softly. "With all rights, he should probably be your son, not Helen's. It's just nowhere near right that Helen gave birth to him."

"Rowan, I understand where you're coming from. But I need to ask you not to be in a romantic relationship with Helen any more. I can't tell you not to love her, because it would be like you telling me not to love Derryn. But I can tell you that our relationship won't survive if you and Helen are in a relationship with each other. And that's the same vice-versa." I said softly to him.

"Wait, who's Derryn?" he asked me and I sighed. I couldn't believe I hadn't told him who Derryn was.

"Derryn was my boyfriend before I met you. Do you remember when you were still human and I told you in geography when I first met you that my last boyfriend was killed?" I asked him and he thought hard, before nodding.

"I remember. So…Derryn was your last boyfriend's name?" he asked me.

"Exactly. And unfortunately I'll never forget him. And although I love you quite deeply, I still love him, though nowhere near as much as I love you." I said and understanding dawned on his face.

"Okay." He said.

"But I still need you to promise that you will leave the romantic relationship with Helen." I said and he nodded, sighing.

"I promise." He said and I smiled.

"Thank you Rowan." I whispered and he smiled, hugging me. I lay my head on his shoulder, looking at the tiny baby boy in my arms. "You do realise that your son and daughter still need names?" I asked him and he laughed.

"You're right. I completely forgot to name them." He laughed and I smiled briefly.

"Rowan, I know I should've told you this earlier, but your father and brother were killed while you were away. They were killed in a car accident. I'm sorry." I said softly to him and he sighed, looking upset. "I'm sorry to have to tell you like this. I know I should've told you earlier." I whispered and he sighed again.

"Thank you Kristen. You did what you could and now I have to deal with it." He whispered in reply.

"Rowan, you don't have to deal with it on your own." I told him and he sighed. He looked at me and kissed me briefly and I couldn't help but smile slightly when he did that. Our relationship before that one kiss, since he'd gotten Helen pregnant, was on the verge of falling apart, but that one kiss told me that the relationship could be fixed, and this baby that was asleep in my arms would make sure of that. For these children's sake, Rowan needed to stay calm, and needed to stay together. Without him, these babies wouldn't cope, and Rowan knew that.

"Kristen, I want to call my son Devlin, after my brother. And my daughter Krystal, half after you. You inspired her name, and I hope you know that." He said softly and I looked down at the tiny baby girl in my arms and smiled. I gently brushed the little child's soft brown hair from her closed eyes and kissed her forehead, smiling.

"Devlin's a good name for him Rowan. Krystal's also a good name for your daughter. And I'm sure you'd make a great father, if you apply yourself." I said softly to Rowan, who tightened his grip slightly, pulling me closer to him.

At that point, a knock on the spare room door startled us and we parted hurriedly, while I held the baby Krystal close. The door opened and Carlisle walked in, with a mixture of emotions evident on his face. There was a small smile playing on his lips, but in his golden eyes was a mixture in itself. The emotion evident in his eyes was a mix of curiosity, caution and concern.

"How're the children going, guys?" he asked us.

"They're asleep at the moment, but they're doing fine." I replied, smiling lovingly down at the child I knew in my frozen, still heart was not mine.

"Have you thought of names for them?" he asked us, curiosity becoming the most obvious emotion in his eyes, though the smile was still there.

"Yes. We've decided to call him Devlin, after my baby brother. May his soul rest in peace. And we've decided to name my daughter Krystal, half after Kristen." Rowan sighed and Carlisle nodded understandingly.

"And is Helen going to mother them?" Carlisle asked, the curiosity now evident in his voice.

"No. Kristen's going to mother them, because I'm dead scared after Helen killed that human, that she's going to let slip and kill her own children, too." Rowan replied and my smile widened as I threw my free arm around him.

"Okay. Now, I've discovered that little Devlin and therefore his sister are most definitely _not_ half-vampires, as his venom is actually much stronger than Renesmee's venom is. His venom is actually strong enough to turn people, while Renesmee's venom is too diluted and weak to do that." Carlisle explained and Rowan and I looked shocked.

"You're kidding!" Rowan exclaimed, looking briefly at his sleeping son, his mouth slightly open with shock.

"No, I'm not kidding, Rowan. It appears the extra venom in Helen's blood, turned the children into slightly more than half-vampires." Carlisle said and Rowan sighed.

"So…so this means that they're more dangerous to humans now?" Rowan asked and Carlisle nodded slowly.

"Yes, but I can't tell you exactly how much vampire there is in him, without giving him a blood test." Carlisle replied and Rowan turned to me.

"You make a decision Kristen. I don't know what to do." He said and I sighed deeply.

"Carlisle, give him a blood test, just don't take too much of his blood." I told Carlisle, who nodded, walking over with a syringe in his hand. He gently pushed the syringe into the main vein in the crook of Devlin's elbow. At the feel of the syringe in his arm, Devlin woke and started crying and screaming, twitching. Rowan held his arm still while trying to comfort him until Carlisle managed to get the syringe out of the crook of his little elbow. He quickly placed a cotton ball on the injection site and placed his hand briefly on the baby's head before smiling at us as he walked out of the room, just as a very curious Esme walked in.

"Kristen? What was that crying – oh, it's so cute! Is it a boy or girl?" she asked us, walking quickly closer to get a better look at the wailing Devlin.

"Boy. This is the result of Rowan's little 'mistake' with Helen. Rowan's decided that I'd make a better mother than Helen, regardless of the biological side." I replied and Esme looked lovingly at the baby, before noticing little Krystal still asleep in my arms.

"The little boy has a twin?" she asked, looking moderately surprised.

"Yes. He has a twin sister, to be precise, and her name is Krystal." I said softly.

"They're so beautiful." Esme whispered in adoration.

"Oh great. Let me guess, the whole Cullen family will be in love with them as soon as they see them?" Rowan asked, laughing as he walked over.

"Most likely. It was definitely that way when Renesmee was born." Esme told us and he sighed.

"Well Devlin, that means you'll have to get used to the publicity." He whispered to his son. Esme smiled.

"What's his name?" she asked, still looking at Devlin.

"His name's Devlin." I replied and she smiled wider. "And by the way Rowan, I hate to tell you, but Carlisle was instantly in love with them when he first delivered them, too." I laughed and Krystal woke and looked curiously up at me, her little mouth opened slightly.

"Carlisle's one person I'd definitely expect to fall instantly in love with a baby." Esme said and I nodded, looking at little Devlin, then at Krystal.

"Oh great…even Carlisle's in love with them…" Rowan said, before beginning to laugh.

"Well, it's not like you can blame him Rowan. Devlin is an adorable baby. And so is Krystal." I said and he smiled widely at me.

"You're right." He said, as the door opened and Carlisle walked into the room, stopping when he saw Esme in the room.

"Hello Esme. I didn't realise you were in here too." He said pleasantly to his wife, before looking directly at me. "Kristen, Rowan, I have the results of the blood test." He added to us and we nodded, holding our breath. "He is, in fact, a three-quarter vampire. And therefore his sister is too."

"Wait, what?" Esme asked him and he sighed.

"The effect of my venom when I turned Helen, resulted in them, not dying as we'd originally expected, but nearly half turning them, instead." He explained to her and understanding dawned on her face.

"Half turning them, Carlisle?" Rowan asked and I laughed.

"Rowan, Devlin and Krystal were already going to be half-vampires, and if a half-vampire is half turned further, it becomes a three-quarter vampire, instead." I told him.

"Oh…okay. Sorry, I just didn't get it at first." He laughed and I hugged him with my free arm, looking lovingly at the babies.


	23. Chapter 22: A New Enemy

_Chapter 22: A New Enemy_

It was two weeks since Devlin and Krystal were born, and they were growing up fast – faster than any human child. They were growing up so fast that any human who saw them would think they were two years old, rather than two weeks. They'd learned to walk (they figured it out themselves) so we'd taught them to talk. Rowan hadn't told Helen about his decision regarding the children, though he'd told the rest of the Cullens.

One day, just as Devlin and Krystal were playing with Renesmee out the back of the house, I was with Edward and Bella watching them, just as I heard a crash and a yell. Edward, Bella and I ran and picked up the children, Edward holding Devlin for me. Together, we walked inside to see what was going on. I saw Helen standing furiously over Rowan on the floor, Esme standing nearby with her hands over her mouth in horror. I knew Carlisle was at the hospital at the time, so we had to figure out a way to deal with this situation, ourselves.

"Come on, we need to get the kids out of here. If we put them into my room, one of us can stay and look after them while the other two come back down here to prevent anyone getting hurt too badly." I said and Edward and Bella nodded, following me quickly up the stairs and into my room, where we were met by the dogs. "Crap! I forgot they were in here." I cursed under my breath.

"I'll stay with the kids, Kristen, and you and Edward can go downstairs and figure out what's going on." Bella said and I nodded as we placed the three children down.

"We'll have to bring the dogs with us, because we can't be sure whether they're going to injure the children or not." I said and Bella nodded. I called the dogs to me, and Edward and I led them downstairs and into the living room. "Stay here with the dogs, Edward. I'm going to go and see if I can calm Helen down." I told him and he nodded. I walked towards Helen, standing between her and Rowan to protect him. "What's going on, Helen?" I asked her calmly and she glared at me, her teeth bared.

"You stole my children!" she shrieked. "Give them back!"

"Helen, listen to me. I can't give them back to you while you're in this mood. You need to calm down before I can give them back to you." I said, and I heard a growl rip up her throat. Finally, Esme seemed to have recovered herself.

"If you two are going to fight, go outside to do it. There's already been enough damage done to the house." She told us and we walked out the back door, assuming defensive positions opposite from each other. Edward ran over to me.

"I'm going to warn Carlisle about this, okay?" he whispered and I nodded, keeping my eyes on Helen. He ran off, just as Helen leapt at me and I dodged, running around her and using my telekinetic ability to throw her away from me. I heard her land with a resounding _thud_ in a tree about twenty metres away, and I ran over to her, lunging at her, catching her around the throat with my hand. I had my teeth at her throat, ready to tear a chunk out of her throat, when I felt a strong hand on my shoulder. I turned my head and saw Carlisle standing there, looking furiously at Helen.

"Kristen, is there an explanation for this fighting?" he asked me.

"She stole my children!" Helen shrieked, but Carlisle silenced her with a warning look.

"I told her that she couldn't have her children back until she calmed down. She'd already hurt Rowan, and if I gave her children back to her while she's in this mood, she'd have killed them." I explained and Carlisle nodded understandingly.

"Helen, she had her reasons. What she said to you was in the children's best interests. I doubt she'd have kidnapped your children for selfish reasons." He explained to Helen, who suddenly broke out of my grip and attacked Carlisle, taking him by surprise. She knocked him to the ground, but before she could harm him in any way, I threw her off him with my telekinetic ability. I helped him to his feet and he looked at where she disappeared, a puzzled, yet worried expression on his face.

"Are you alright Carlisle?" I asked him and he nodded, still watching where she disappeared.

"I have a feeling that we haven't seen the last of her. We've now managed to score ourselves a new enemy. Meaning that the children aren't as safe as they were before." He said slowly and I looked at where he was looking.

"We can hope she won't attack again any time soon." I said, walking towards the house.

"I agree." He replied, following me.


	24. Chapter 23: Goodnight America

_Chapter 23: Goodnight America_

It turned out that Carlisle was right about not having seen the last of Helen. About three days later, I was out hunting, when I heard a yell.

"Kristen!" yelled a male voice and I ran back to the house, to see Helen standing defensively opposite Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, Jasper, Rowan and Edward, who were all also in defensive positions. I guessed Bella was looking after the children. I ran over, assuming a defensive position with my family. A snarl escaped my lips as Helen straightened up, running off.

"No, she can't!" Alice gasped in horror, her hand placed at her mouth.

"What is it Alice?" I asked her and Edward and Rowan gasped as they read her thoughts and saw her vision.

"She's going to set the house on fire." Alice told me and my jaw dropped in horror, worry for the children and the dogs taking over. I ran into the house, up the stairs and into my room, taking the dogs into my arms and running back downstairs.

"Bella, you need to get yourself and the kids outside! Helen's planning on setting the house on fire!" I shouted at Bella as I passed her and she nodded as Edward and Rowan ran in, picking up one child each and we all ran out of the house, meeting Carlisle and the family outside in the forest. Just then, we heard a crackling sound and smelt smoke and we turned to see the house go up in flames.

"Well, there goes our home." Carlisle said sadly, turning away from the house, his head bowed. Esme placed her hand on his shoulder and he smiled reassuringly at her.

"Where are we going to stay then, Carlisle?" Edward asked him.

"I don't know son, I really don't know." Carlisle replied softly.

"Why not Australia? There's still the house there." I asked them and they looked at me, and it looked like Carlisle was forming a plan.

"We will have to move back there, but we need to figure out a plan firs–" he began, just as Helen ran over, snatching up Krystal from Bella and running off. I immediately ran after her, Carlisle, Esme, Alice and Rowan on my heels. I willed Helen into our midst, taking Krystal from her as the family that followed attacked Helen. I willed Rosalie and Emmett as well to attack Helen, just in case there were any casualties. However, just as it seemed that she was being overcome, she snatched Krystal yet again and bit her on the arm. Outraged, Rowan and I attacked her, knocking her to the ground as Carlisle gently lifted Krystal out of her grasp and held her as in the struggle, Helen managed to get away. Rowan and I were left on the ground, covered in Krystal's blood as the little girl lay bleeding heavily in Carlisle's arms. Rowan and I got to our feet, looking sorrowfully at little Krystal.

"Kristen, we need to get her to the hospital now, or she won't survive. Rowan, you can come too, as you are her father. The rest of you, I need you to stay with the others and look after them in case Helen comes back. Come on Kristen, Rowan." He said and he, Rowan and I ran at top speed to Forks Hospital, where we stopped, walking quickly into the building. We walked into the emergency ward, Carlisle handing Krystal to me and grabbing some wound dressing and a pressure bandage. "Kristen, lay her on the bed. We need to work fast." He said and I did as I was told.

"But what about the venom, Carlisle?" I asked him in an undertone. He looked up at me.

"Damn, that's right. It'd be poisoning her. We need to get it out of her, but Kristen, I don't want you to do that. Rowan, could you please close the door? Kristen, hold these please." He said and Rowan and I did as we were told. As soon as the door was closed, Carlisle placed his mouth to little Krystal's bite wound. When he eventually lifted his head, the bite wasn't bleeding as much, and it gave Carlisle time to clean and dress the wound.

"Will she be okay, Carlisle?" Rowan asked Carlisle, a worried expression on his face as he looked at his daughter's unconscious form.

"She'll be alright. Her unconsciousness was a combination of the venom poisoning her and the loss of blood. Her heart sounds normal now, and she's still breathing strongly too. But we have to get back to the family now." Carlisle said and I gently lifted Krystal into my arms as Rowan opened the door again. Checking that the coast was clear, we ran at top speed back to where we'd left the family. They were there, waiting for our return.

"Is she alright?" Rosalie asked us as she handed Devlin to Rowan.

"She'll be alright." Carlisle replied as I knelt down, still holding Krystal. I gently patted the dogs' heads to clam them, before straightening up again. "But we need to get out of here soon." He added, before looking around at all of us, noticing that we were all obviously thirsty. "However, we'll hunt before we go." He said. "We'll split into two groups of five. I'll take the first group hunting while the second group looks after the children and dogs."

Eventually, we'd decided that Esme, Rosalie, Jasper, Carlisle and I would hunt first, while Alice, Emmett, Rowan, Bella and Edward hunted as the second group.

"Okay, we'll be back soon." Carlisle said as we ran off into the forest, chasing our own specific animals. I stopped near a stream, and willed a bear into my arms, draining it of its blood, before sniffing the air for another animal. I caught the scent of a deer and willed it into my arms, also draining it of its blood. With that, I ran after the scent of the rest of the rest of the first group. I caught up with Rosalie, who was just finishing off a mountain lion. When she finished feeding, I stepped forward.

"Are you finished?" I asked her and she nodded. "Okay, we'd better go find the rest of them, then." I said and she smiled at me as we ran towards the scent of Jasper. We found him just having finished off a deer. "Are you done Jasper?" I asked him and he nodded, straightening up.

"Yeah. Do you think we should go find Carlisle and Esme?" he asked as Rosalie and I walked closer to him.

"That sounds like a good idea." I replied and Jasper, Rosalie and I ran after Carlisle's scent. We found him, just having finished off a deer and about to chase another one, when he caught our scents. He looked up, looking around anxiously, when he caught sight of us. Relief washed over his face.

"It's just you. I thought it may have been someone else." He said and we laughed as we walked towards him.

"Have you seen Esme since we began the hunt?" I asked him and he shook his head, his face still calm. "Okay, we're just collecting those that have finished hunting so we can all go back as a group." I explained.

"Alright. Well, if you meet me back here when you've found her, I should be done soon." He said and we nodded as we ran after Esme's scent. She'd just finished draining the blood of a mountain lion by the time we found her, and she lifted her head as we approached her.

"Are you done hunting, Esme?" I asked her.

"Yes. Are you all finished?" she asked us, looking around at the three of us.

"Yes. Carlisle's not quite finished yet, but he told us to meet him when we'd caught up to you." I explained to her and she nodded. We ran back to where we'd left Carlisle and stopped, sitting down to wait for him.

He ran onto the scene about a minute later, stopping when he saw us.

"Finished." He said and we stood up, Esme walking towards him.

"Alright. Carlisle, do you think we should meet the rest of the family and give them their turn to hunt before we go?" I asked him.

"Yes I do, Kristen. Let's go." He said and the five of us ran back to the rest of the family, stopping when we found them. "Okay, you guys can go hunt, but be quick please. Because I want to be out of the country before sunrise." Carlisle told them and they nodded as they ran off. That was when I saw the dogs' eyes were black, rather than golden and I realised they were thirsty too.

"Carlisle, I need to take the dogs hunting, or they'll kill people at the airport. Do you mind looking after the children while I'm gone?" I asked Carlisle and he nodded.

"Alright, but take them one at a time. Otherwise you won't be able to keep an eye on them all." He said, but Rosalie and jasper stood up next to me.

"She won't have to. We'll go with her so the dogs can hunt together, without her having to keep going back and forth. That'll take too long if she does." Rosalie said and Carlisle sighed, nodding.

"Alright, but five minutes. I don't want you to take longer than five minutes, because remember the children. It's going to rain soon, and we want to keep them as warm as possible." He said and we nodded as we picked up the dogs and ran back into the forest.

"Alright, let them go now guys. There aren't any humans nearby." I said and Jasper and Rosalie did as they were told, and the three dogs ran after their own specific prey. "Don't forget, keep an eye on them." I said as we ran to catch up to the dogs. Jumpy had just taken down a bear and finished him off, before running up to me, his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth with happiness and excitement.

"Emmett will be jealous." Jasper laughed and we laughed as we caught up to Reggie, seeing that he'd just finished off a mountain lion. Rosalie picked him up as we saw Dalmatio run up to us, the head of a deer in her mouth and what was obviously another, much larger dog chasing her.

"Jasper, don't kill the dog, but get it away from her. Or I know that she'll kill it." I said and Jasper nodded, standing in front of the larger dog, and letting a snarl escape his lips. I heard the heart of the dog speed up as it ran away, whimpering. "Dalmatio, come here girl." I called and the young vampiric dog came running up to me, the deer's hear still in her mouth. I sighed. "Drop it, Dalmatio." I told her and she did as she was told, planting her rear end on the ground in front of me. I sighed, smiling. "Okay Jasper, pick her up now, please." I said and Jasper picked Dalmatio up and the three of us ran back towards Carlisle and Esme.

"How'd it go, guys?" Carlisle asked us and I smiled as we let the dogs down. I noticed that Esme was cradling a sleeping Krystal in her arms, smiling as she watched the child sleep.

"Emmett's gonna be so jealous." Jasper said and a hint of a smiled flashed across Carlisle's face.

"Why is Emmett going to be jealous?" Carlisle asked him.

"Because Jumpy took down a bear." Jasper replied and Carlisle chuckled.

When the rest of the family returned shortly afterwards, we stood up, Esme handing Krystal to me gently.

"Okay, are we all ready to get to the airport?" Carlisle asked us and we nodded, Alice picking up the dogs. We took one last look at the house, which was still burning, before running as a group towards the airport. We stopped outside the airport, Carlisle checking that everyone was present.

"Carlisle, do we even have the money?" I asked him and he nodded.

"Yes, we have enough money, but we'll need to pass through the animal check-in as well in order for the dogs to fly." He said and I nodded as we walked calmly into the building. We checked ourselves in and walked towards the animal check-in to check the dogs in for the flight. I watched as they were placed in travel cages. I was glad their fur kept the cold of their skin inside, so the humans didn't feel it.

We walked towards the departure area, looking at our tickets at the time the plane was due to leave.

"We have half an hour, so we'd better hurry." Carlisle said and we nodded, speeding up our pace slightly without going outside the natural human walking pace.

We arrived at the departure area just as the hostesses were asking passengers to line up to board the plane. We boarded the plane, sitting in rows of three. Rowan was holding a sleeping Devlin while I held Krystal, who was also sleeping. Rowan had taken the window seat, I sat in the middle and Carlisle sat next to me. Alice was directly in front of Rowan, Jasper was directly in front of me and Esme was directly in front of Carlisle, while Bella sat directly behind me, Edward directly behind Rowan, leaving an empty seat behind Carlisle, as Rosalie and Emmett sat next to each other behind Bella and Edward.

"What time is it Carlisle?" Esme asked Carlisle, turning around in her seat to look at him.

"Quarter to eleven. So we should make it out of America by sunrise." Carlisle replied and she nodded as she turned around again so she was facing the front.

"Mommy?" came a small voice and I turned around to see Renesmee in Bella's lap, looking up at her mother. "Mommy, where's Jacob?"

"Jacob's not coming with us, Nessie. He's got to stay with his Dad." Bella replied gently, lifting her daughter into the seat behind Carlisle and doing up her seatbelt. I heard Carlisle sigh from next to me. I turned back around, seeing him smiling slightly.

"If only Renesmee knew what was going on. In fact, if she did, she'd be in her mother's arms, crying." He muttered only loud enough for me to hear, even though he obviously knew Rowan and Edward would be able to hear his thoughts.

"Yeah. But it's actually a good thing she doesn't know." I said and he nodded, just as the plane began to drive towards the runway for take-off. Movement in my arms distracted me and I looked down, to see Krystal awake and curled up in my arms. Jasper turned around in his seat to face me.

"Kristen, she's scared. And so is Devlin. I'm not sure of the exact reason, though." He said to me and I tightened my grip on Krystal slightly to make her feel safe.

"That's alright Jasper. Thank you for letting me know." I said to him and he shot me a smile as he turned back around in his seat. I gently held Krystal close, and Rowan, who'd obviously read Jasper's mind, held Devlin close.

"They're scared because they've never been on a plane before…and Krystal can tell that you're worried, Kristen." Rowan said to me and I looked down at the little child in my arms, tightening my grip on her ever so slightly to make sure she was calm.

We landed in Australia at about midday the next day, getting off the plane and looking out the window. We'd landed in Hobart, which meant it would be at least another hour's drive before we got to the house. We walked at the fastest possible human pace to the luggage claim, to collect the dogs, before we walked quickly to the long-term parking to collect the cars. We piled into the cars, Rowan, Esme, Carlisle and I in one car, with Krystal and Devlin in the backseat with Rowan and I. I saw Edward, Bella, Rosalie and Emmett get into the next car, while Alice and Jasper decided to run home. They waved at us, before running off into the distance. I had a feeling Jasper needed to hunt, as well. The dogs were on the floor at my feet, playing with each other. Carlisle started the car, backing out of the parking lot and driving towards the exit. We drove out onto the main highway, Carlisle going no faster than the the speed limit of a hundred.

Arriving home, we all piled out of the cars, to see Alice dancing gracefully towards us, a huge smile on her face, Jasper walking behind her, obviously struggling not to laugh. I looked around, realisation beginning to dawn on me. Although the rest of the family were happy to have returned safely to Australia, I'd just realised that we weren't far from the scene that I'd been injured and found by Carlisle and Alice.

"Kristen, are you alright?" Carlisle's voice sounded so far off. I sighed, shaking my head rapidly to try and clear it.

"Carlisle, she's feeling a mixture of emotions at the moment, I can't pick any that stand out from her." Jasper said and Carlisle nodded.

"She's remembering," Rowan and Edward said at exactly the same time. Carlisle looked up at them.

"What's she remembering?" he asked them, now looking back at me, a concerned expression on his face.

"The attack that lead to her being turned." Edward said and Carlisle nodded to show he understood.

"Kristen, do you want some time at the place to recover yourself?" Carlisle asked me. I nodded slowly, my face still hard as stone. There were so many thoughts going through my head, I doubted that Rowan or Edward would be able to sort through them.

"But I'll need you and Alice with me to explain things to me, there's still several blank spots in my memory." I said and Carlisle nodded as Alice walked over, no longer smiling.

"Warning: it's not going to be a nice fairy story…instead more of a scary vampire one."Alice said, smiling humourlessly.

"That's alright Alice, I think I'm up for it. You guys had better get inside, I'm not sure how long we'll be." I said and the rest of the family nodded, walking inside, still looking concernedly at me.


	25. Chapter 24: Remembering

_Chapter 24: Remembering_

Carlisle, Alice and I ran to where I'd been attacked and bitten, memories beginning to flood my brain so much so that I stopped running, falling to my knees. Carlisle and Alice stopped too, running to my side.

"Are you alright, Kristen?" Carlisle asked. He sounded worried.

"I'll be alright, but the memories are drowning me. Several of them are painful, too." I said and Carlisle looked confused.

"Painful in what way?" he asked me gently, kneeling next to me.

"It was this exact spot that I'd been found by Sedren, and I'd tried to run to the north, but he'd obviously caught me and–" I began, but the flashbacks had started and I buried my face in my hands.

_I'd been running from Sedren, but he jumped over me, grinning evilly. He grabbed me easily by the throat, throwing me against a tree, causing the tree to collapse under me, even though it looked huge and solid. The next thing I knew, he was standing over me, sneering._

"_Kristen, you should be proud, I'm going to kill you quickly so you won't feel any pain." He sneered, and I felt my pulse quicken. I crawled away from him, but I accidentally placed my hand on a sharp twig, which cut into my palm. I watched my hand as blood blossomed around the small piece of twig embedded in my skin. I pulled the splinter from my hand, getting to my feet and starting to run from Sedren, but he appeared out of nowhere, laughing at my effort to get away. I continued to run, but I tripped and fell, hitting my head against a tree, causing my head to bleed. Sedren came towards me, grabbing the collar of my t-shirt and lifting me into the air as though I weighed no more than a feather._

"_Please spare me!" I begged, knowing it would have no effect; knowing that eventually I would die. He threw me to his right, against another tree, which also collapsed underneath me, even though it too looked completely solid. No human could have ever come up with such strength. With that, he sat on my stomach, biting my throat, and I could feel my blood being drawn out of my body, just as he was thrown off me. He leapt to his feet and I saw a girl with short brown hair attacking him, just as a man with blonde hair knelt next to me, checking me over. I realised that, like Sedren, his hands were ice cold. He checked my head wound, before looking at my hand, then noticing my throat. I heard him swear, just as immense pain ripped through my body, making me feel as though I was on fire. Eventually, I felt my heart rate speed up dramatically as I lost consciousness._

"Kristen? Kristen, are you okay?" Carlisle's voice finally tore me out of my daze. I looked up to see relief wash over his and Alice's faces.

"I'm alright." I said.

"What happened? Flashbacks?" Carlisle asked and I nodded.

"Yeah, they overcame me so much that I couldn't think." I replied and he nodded.

"Was this not the best place to come?" he asked me, but I shook my head.

"No, it's alright, but I need you two to tell me exactly what had happened after I'd lost consciousness on that particular occasion." I said and he sighed.

"Are you sure you want to know?" he asked me and I nodded. "Alright. Well, as you know, as soon as I'd noticed that you were feeling the pain of the transformation, your heart sped up to dangerous speeds, and I knew that if I wasn't careful that you'd die. For some reason, my doctor 'instincts' were taking over, and I couldn't let you die. I also knew that the cold of my hands wasn't helping the situation, so I went through your backpack, finding a sweater and placing it over you while Alice fought Sedren. I also saw your name on the backpack, which made me think of Alice's vision which led us to you." He smiled.

"What was her vision?" I asked him.

"I saw that you would be bitten and join the family." Alice said, which startled me. She'd been silent since we'd arrived.

"Okay." I said, recovering quickly. "Please continue, Carlisle." I said to Carlisle, who nodded, smiling slightly at me.

"I realised that it was getting colder, and I could smell moisture in the air, which told me that it was going to rain. I knew that if you were to survive to become a vampire, I'd have to take you home. Alice ran over at that point, telling me that Sedren had run off before she'd had a chance to kill him, and I lifted you into my arms, telling Alice that we'd better get you home before you froze to death. I told her to take your backpack to the nearby river so it looked to the humans like you'd fallen into the river and drowned. She did as she was told, picking up your backpack and running off. I ran you home, laying you in what is now your room. Now having my black bag of medical equipment, I was able to work on you properly. Although, I have a feeling that Esme may have thought I was having an affair or something…she hadn't seen me for three days." He laughed humourlessly. "And I don't know what first went through her mind when she first saw you with me…although I don't think it was very pleasant." He added and I sighed.

"But she didn't approach you to ask you if you'd been having an affair?" I asked him and he shook his head.

"No, but I did overhear her asking Edward to read my mind to see if I had been. He told her I hadn't and since then she's known the truth." He replied and I nodded, thankful that Esme knew that Carlisle hadn't been having an affair with me. To me, he was nothing more than a father. And I was sure that to him, I was nothing more than his daughter…though not in the biological sense.

"Do you think the backpack would still be there? Or would the humans have moved it?" I asked him after a while.

"I'm not sure. We could check though." Carlisle replied and Alice looked up at that point.

"It's still there." She said and we stood up and ran to the river. One look at the backpack made me remember my life before I'd come across Sedren.

_My name had been Kristen Porter, sister of Sedren. One day when I was fourteen, Sedren went missing. My parents searched for him, to no avail. We'd given him up for dead. At the time, we were living in Hobart, Tasmania, and my father and I had always taken an interest in hiking. He and I regularly went hiking, much to my mother's dislike. Sedren had always been my mother's favourite, while I'd always been my father's favourite. My father had thought that Sedren had a hidden dark side that my mother refused to believe was there._

"_There can't be anything bad in him, he's such a nice, considerate boy." My mother used to say. But when Sedren went missing at the age of sixteen, my mother broke down. She wouldn't accept that he was gone, and eventually, the hope that he would return made her very sick. By the time I was fifteen, she was dead. Now it was only Dad and I._

_Dad and I continued to hike until I was eighteen. We went further and further away from home, taking camping supplies, but even Dad wasn't immune to mortality. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer when I was eighteen, meaning that he and I couldn't go hiking together anymore. I stayed with him every day, but one night, he lost the battle. He passed on peacefully in his sleep, and I spent almost a year in deep depression. I had no friends, I had no family left, there was only me, no one else._

_Coming out of the depression was hard, but eventually I managed it. I started hiking again, in tribute to my father. When I was nineteen, I'd stopped near the river for a rest and to set up camp. It was nearly dark. I wouldn't make it back home before dark. That was when I'd heard a rustling in the bushes. I looked up, my heart hammering, but I couldn't see anything. I shrugged, thinking it was an animal or something. The forest at night was not the safest place for a nineteen year old girl to be alone. There were Tasmanian devils, there were men that only saw women as tools, and there were snakes, though not very many in mid-winter. I had my backpack ready for if I had to run and leave my camping supplies behind. My life was much more important than my camping supplies. There were stories that vampires roamed the forests this far south, but I didn't believe them. I didn't believe in vampires, until near midnight. It was about eleven, and I was hearing noises in the dark. Scurrying sounds which I passed off as rats and mice. Padding sounds that sounded like a creature hunting in the dark, and the squeal of a small animal dying confirmed that. More rustling sounds, before a human scream made me sit up straight. My heart started hammering as I slowly and silently crawled out of the tent to see what had happened. All I saw was a human man on the ground, a bite mark to his throat, but what seemed strange was that the bite mark wasn't bleeding, though it definitely broke the skin. I crawled towards him. I didn't recognise him. His green eyes were blank and wide with terror, his skin pale with death, even though it was very slightly warm, and by the sound and closeness of the scream I heard in the tent, it was obvious that he'd only recently died. He hadn't gone into rigor mortis yet. I was curious as to why his bite mark wasn't bleeding. I'd done some training in the medical area at the university I went to. I crawled silently back to my tent, grabbing my backpack. It was a cool night, but I didn't think to put my jumper on. Crawling back to the dead man, I sat him up, supporting his dead weight with my right arm as I took a small knife from my backpack and cut into the main artery in the crook of his elbow. No blood spilled out. I cut deeper, thinking I hadn't gone deep enough. Still no blood. I was confused, as though this man had been drained of every last drop of his blood. I thought back to the stories of vampires roaming the forests this late at night. This made my heart start throwing itself against my ribs. Although I didn't usually believe in vampires, I was beginning to. No animal could've drained a fully grown human man of all of his blood…the only thing that seemed likely, and that seemed likely to leave a bite mark like this on his throat was a…vampire. I was scared. I lay the body down, running back to my tent. My backpack still in my hand, I hid inside my tent, trying to calm my heart down, sure that it would lead who or whatever had killed that man right to me._

_It was half an hour later, midnight, and I still couldn't sleep for fear that I'd be killed. I wanted to be able to run from the danger…I was still only nineteen, and I needed a chance to experience life._

"_Hmmm…a little human attempts to hide from me?" a male voice from outside the tent sneered. My heart hammered. "Come out, come out little human. I won't hurt you." The voice said, but I cowered deeper in my tent, my backpack held tightly to my chest. I waited five minutes, before I heard a tearing sound as the whole top of my tent was torn as easily as if it were made of tissue paper. I looked up, seeing the face of my missing brother grinning at me. Normally I would've rushed out of the tent and greeted him, but something made me fearful. For starters, his eyes were crimson red, rather than the light blue that they had been._

"_Sedren? What happened to you?" I asked him, my voice shaking slightly with fear._

"_Ah, so my next meal happens to be my little sister, Kristen." He said pleasantly, but I was wary. I crawled quickly out of the tent, beginning to run, my backpack still with me, but Sedren easily caught up to me with inhuman speed. "Why are you running Kristen? Weren't you worried about me when I went missing?" he asked me, but I threw my knife at him, hoping that it would cut him. The blade hit his skin, but it just bounced off, leaving no mark. I was surprised, but he was distracted. I took advantage of his distraction and ran north, in the direction of home. I was confused at why my knife hadn't broken his skin. Maybe I didn't throw it hard enough at him._

"Kristen, are you okay?" came Carlisle's worried voice. I hadn't realised that I'd fallen to my knees again. I looked up. It was dusk.

"I'm alright Carlisle. I just remembered everything before Sedren attacked me." I said, repeating everything in both flashbacks. Understanding dawned on his face, which was soon replaced by horror, which, in turn, was replaced by shock, which was then replaced by anger, which was soon replaced by concern.

By the time I'd finished speaking, Alice was sitting next to me, her mouth open with shock at what I'd just said. Carlisle was speechless with a whole range of emotions. I looked at the sky, realising that it was getting darker.

"I think we'd better get back, before the others come looking for us." I said and Carlisle and Alice stood up.

"I'd better hunt quickly. You guys go on ahead; I'll catch up." Alice said and Carlisle and I nodded, beginning to run home.


	26. Chapter 25: Gymnast

_Chapter 25: Gymnast_

As we ran, Carlisle asked me questions about my flashbacks.

"So what Sedren said about you being his sister was true?" he asked me softly, looking at me.

"Yes. I didn't believe it at the time because I didn't rem–" I began, just as Carlisle tripped on a thick root. He quite gracefully landed on his hand, pushing himself up, doing a full flip and landing on his feet, before starting to run again. "What the hell!?" I exclaimed, beginning to run after him, before I tripped on the same root and fell flat on my face. Carlisle laughed as he held his hand out to help me up. I took it, getting to my feet.

"Would you like me to teach you how to do that?" he asked me, still laughing.

"That would be nice." I said, looking at the root still sticking out of the ground as though it was mocking us. "That root is a death trap." I said and Carlisle smiled, just as Alice ran up to us, leaping gracefully over the root, laughing.

"Kristen, did you used to be a gymnast, before you were turned?" she asked me, still laughing. I glared at her.

"I was the one that fell flat on my face! Carlisle should be the one you ask that question to, not me. Carlisle managed to not fall flat on his face." I said and she laughed.

"I know, I asked the question as a joke." She laughed as we ran together back home.

_**AN:**__ Yes, the root was mocking them. Yes, the root was also able to withstand two vampires tripping over it at high speeds. I know this may not seem realistic, but I couldn't resist putting it into the story. Enjoy the next chapters!_


	27. Chapter 26: Family Meeting

_Chapter 26: Family Meeting_

We arrived home shortly afterwards, still joking and laughing about the root that managed to survive two vampires trip over it at high speeds. Rowan ran up to greet me, looking concerned as he hugged me.

"Are you alright Kristen?" he asked me and I laughed.

"I'm fine, although Carlisle and I managed to trip over a root…and the damn thing managed to survive it!" I exclaimed and Rowan looked at Carlisle, then at me and started laughing.

"How the hell did you manage to trip over a root? I thought running was supposed to be second nature for vampires." He laughed and Carlisle and I joined in.

"That's alright, I was less than graceful when I tripped – I fell flat on my face! Carlisle was much more graceful…about as graceful as one can be when they trip." I laughed and Rowan was doubled over in laughter, laughing harder, as Esme walked out of the house, obviously to see what all the laughter was about.

"What's going on?" she asked us as Carlisle walked over to her, still chuckling.

"Carlisle and I managed to trip over a tree root, and the damn thing managed to survive both of us tripping over it. Although, Carlisle was much more graceful when he tripped…whereas I fell flat on my face when I tripped." I said, struggling to stop laughing, while I heard Alice still giggling behind me. Rowan had fallen to the ground in laughter, and I knelt down next to him, hitting him on the head, which I knew wouldn't hurt him.

Eventually, we managed to calm Rowan down after his laughing fit, and we were sitting in the lounge room, when Esme turned to me.

"Kristen, did you manage to remember your past before you were turned?" she asked me and I sighed.

"Yes, but it wasn't easy on me emotionally." I replied.

"Do you think you're ready to share? You don't have to if you don't want to, though." Rowan asked me and I nodded, my face determined.

I repeated everything that happened in my flashbacks to them, and like Carlisle, their faces showed expressions of shock, horror, disgust and concern. By the end of my speech, Rowan had his arms around me and Esme was covering her mouth with her hand in horror.

"Wait, so Sedren was telling the truth when he said that you were his sister the night that Rowan was turned?" Rosalie asked me softly.

"Yes, he was. I didn't believe him at the time because I didn't remember, but since the flashbacks, I realised that he was telling the truth." I replied.

"I knew there was something of a similarity between you and Sedren, but it didn't spark any interest in me to investigate further. I just thought at the time that it was a coincidence." Alice said. "But I can't believe that I didn't see that it was true, considering my 'talent' and all." She added and I smiled.

"That's alright. At least now we know the truth." I said and she nodded at me, flashing a smile in my direction.

_**AN:** I'm sorry it's taken me a while to update, but I have exams coming up, so I may take longer periods of time to update my story. otherwise, please enjoy!_


	28. Chapter 27: Out of Tasmania

_Chapter 27: Out of Tasmania_

Two months later, I found out that Carlisle wasn't planning on us staying in Tasmania. I was surprised, though. I'd thought that he was content here. We packed our things and piled into the cars that then drove to the airport.

"Where are we going Carlisle?" I asked him as we got out of the cars and walked towards the domestic terminal.

"We're going to Victoria. Tasmania will remain a possibility when we have to move somewhere after staying in mainland Australia, but our permanent residence for now will be at Mount Benambra, about 93 miles, or 150 kilometres, northeast of Melbourne." Carlisle replied as we paid for our tickets and booked the dogs into the flight. We then made our way to the gate to await the hostesses telling us to board the plane.

Eventually we were called to board the plane, and we sat in three rows. Jasper, Carlisle and Esme sat in front of Rosalie, Rowan and I. Rowan and I held Devlin and Krystal, sitting in front of Edward, Bella and Renesmee, who sat in front of Emmett and Alice.

We landed in Melbourne airport about 45 minutes later, getting off the plane and collecting our baggage and the dogs, and walking out of the main airport building.

"Won't we need cars, Carlisle?" Rowan asked Carlisle and the latter nodded, smiling.

"Yes, we just don't own any in mainland Australia." Carlisle replied. "But we're going to run to our new house, and drop our things off, before buying our cars." He added and we nodded, running out of the airport and out of Melbourne completely.

We ran non-stop northeast for about 25 minutes, when Carlisle stopped and we stopped next to him, looking at him curiously.

"This is the place." He said, pointing at several eucalypt trees. We were standing on the side of a nearly deserted road, where a dirt road twisted its way through the trees to a large garage of a three-storey house. We walked along this dirt road, reaching the house in another ten minutes.

"Nice house, but is there a school and hospital nearby, or will we have to run for miles to get anywhere?" Bella asked him.

"There's a hospital about two kilometres from here, and a high school about one and a half kilometres from here." Carlisle replied as we walked into the house. The front of the house was white, with a large wall made almost completely of glass, and an extremely large backyard. There were few to no humans around, but a multitude of animals to hunt.

Eventually, Carlisle and Esme claimed the bedroom on the ground floor, while Edward and Bella, Rosalie and Emmett, and Alice and Jasper claimed the three bedrooms on the first floor, and Rowan and I claimed the bedroom on the top floor. Renesmee was given a small bedroom on the top floor, while Devlin and Krystal were given a small bedroom right next to ours.

When we were done that, we locked the dogs in Rowan and my bedroom and Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, Alice and I ran to the nearest car dealer, where we chose our own cars and bought them. We drove our new cars back home, where we parked them in the enormous garage. It appeared Carlisle had ordered the house be built shortly after we'd arrived in Tasmania. There was no way a house would've just been built in the middle of the bush with a drive that long to get to the house. Shortly after we'd walked into the house, Rowan approached us, Devlin in his arms. The little boy was crying.

"I can't figure out how to quiet him down." He said and I sighed, taking the child into my arms and cradling him gently as I walked upstairs into my room, gently rubbing the baby's back as I cradled him. After about a minute of rubbing his back, he burped, before laughing. I smiled, holding him out in front of me and looking into his baby face.

"You know, I think I may have to teach your Daddy how to look after you properly." I said to him softly, walking downstairs again, to see Rowan wasn't around. "Where'd Rowan go?" I asked Carlisle and he looked up from his conversation with Esme.

"He's gone hunting." Carlisle replied and I nodded, walking out of the house. I followed Rowan's scent at a jog (or more like a sprint to a human), Devlin still in my arms.

"Mummy, where are we going?" he asked me and I sighed.

"We're going to find your Daddy." I replied, just as Rowan appeared out of the trees. He ran up to us, taking his son into his arms.

"You wanted me?" he asked me, grinning.

"Rowan, I really need to teach you how to look after your children properly. Basically knowing when they're hungry, when they need burping, etc." I said, rolling my eyes at him.

"Okay, but maybe later." He said and I nodded, smiling as we walked into the house.

That night, I took Devlin upstairs to bed, laying him next to his sister, who was sleeping peacefully. Devlin looked up at me with tired eyes and yawned. I smiled, gently kissing his forehead and drawing the blanket up to his chin as his eyelids drooped and he slowly fell asleep. I adjusted the blanket on Krystal, kissed her forehead, before walking back downstairs and into the living room.

"The kids are asleep." I informed Rowan, who nodded. I walked towards him and sat next to him, resting my head on his shoulder. I kissed him briefly as we got slowly to our feet, walking slowly upstairs and into our bedroom, where we lay on the bed. He sprawled out while I lay my head on his chest, curling up next to him. We lay like that, unsleeping, all night.

_**AN:**__ by the way, the main reason why the story turned in this direction with them moving back to Australia is because I live in Australia, and I therefore have no idea the way American schools work, let alone American hospitals. I have much more experience with Australian schools and medical systems._


	29. Chapter 28: Another Cullen?

_Chapter 28: Another Cullen!?_

Carlisle started working at the nearest hospital a month after moving into our new house, while everyone else except Esme and I started school that same day. Apparently Carlisle was having difficulties getting the hospital manager to employ me.

One day, however, Alice came running home from school, bursting into the house and startling Esme and I.

"What is it Alice? What's wrong?" Esme and I asked her in unison.

"Kristen, you have to come to the school now! It's Rowan!" she said urgently.

"Oh no, please don't tell me he's gone and done it with another human!" I exclaimed, fearing the worst.

"No, but he's losing control of his thirst in a human's presence! If we don't hurry, he'll kill her!" she said and together, the two of us ran out of the house and all the way to the school, bursting into a private classroom to see Rowan already with his teeth in a human girl's throat.

"Rowan!" I exclaimed, running over and dragging him away from the girl, whose heart was beating weakly with the amount of blood that she'd lost. "Alice, get him home now! Tell Esme to call the school and tell them that he had to go home sick!" I said and Alice nodded, taking Rowan by the arm and dragging him in the direction of home. I knelt next to the girl. She was dying, so I applied pressure to her throat, using my mobile phone to call Carlisle.

"Hello?" Carlisle answered the phone on the third ring.

"Carlisle, it's me, Kristen." I said urgently.

"What's wrong Kristen?" he asked, sounding concerned.

"Rowan bit a human girl. She's literally half-dead. It looks like, if she survives, we'll have another member of the family. I need you to drive home now. I'm at the school at the moment, keeping the girl in check, but I'll run her to our place as soon as I get off the phone." I said, the words coming in a rush. He still understood everything I said.

"Okay. Is she conscious?" he asked me. His voice was grave now.

"No. She's unconscious at the moment, but that doesn't mean that she won't regain consciousness." I replied.

"No, you're right. Run her home, and put her in the spare room; I'll be at home in about five minutes." He said.

"Alright. I'll be there." I said, hanging up and lifting the girl carefully into my arms. With that I ran out of the room, out of the school and all the way home.

Once at home, I ran the human up the stairs and into the spare room on the second floor, laying her on the bed. I grabbed a piece of cloth from the linen cupboard and held it to the bite on her throat. Only now could I breathe easily and get a good look at her. She was average height, with shoulder-length blonde-brown hair. She looked no older than about sixteen.

"Kristen?" came Esme's voice as the owner walked slowly into the room, stopping by the bed. "This is the girl?" she asked and I nodded gravely.

"I should've known that he still didn't have the restraint to resist if he got too thirsty. And it wouldn't have been hard for him to lure her into that room before biting her." I said and Esme placed her hand on my shoulder.

"Don't beat yourself up. You had no way of knowing that he was going to do something like this." She said, just as Carlisle arrived, running up to us.

"Is this the girl, Kristen?" he asked me and I nodded. "Okay. He didn't do anything other than bite her?" he asked me and I knew what he was implying.

"No. He just bit her. Although Alice and I only just made it in time to prevent her being killed." I said and Carlisle nodded.

"You did well. Did you apply pressure to the bite?" he asked me.

"Yes." I said, just as the girl's heart sped up, before slowing down dramatically. The venom had reached her heart. Carlisle sighed.

"Another Cullen. When will new vampires stop rolling in? I feel like the owner of an orphanage for vampires." He said and we all started laughing, despite the situation.

"I don't know Carlisle, but we'd better hope Rowan doesn't develop feelings for this one." I said and Carlisle nodded.

"But that's up to you to prevent." He said and I nodded.

"I know. I also need to remember that he's a teenager." I said and Esme raised her eyebrows, looking surprised.

"What about him being a teenager?" she asked.

"Teenage boys usually can't control themselves around women. Especially when they reach their sexual peak." Carlisle explained to her. I sighed.

"Thank you for that Carlisle; that really got rid of my worries about Rowan becoming attracted to this girl." I said; the sarcasm was obvious in my voice.

"He's most likely at his peak at the moment, Kristen, but since he is a vampire, he'll calm down quickly." Carlisle explained to me.

"That helped even less, Carlisle." I said flatly.

"I'm sorry Kristen, but it's the truth." He said.

"Wait Carlisle; were you at your peak as a newborn vampire?" Esme asked him.

"No, I'd passed my peak by the time I'd been turned." He replied and I rolled my eyes.

"Okay, normally I'd leave you two to talk in private at this point, but I can't with this girl here. So could we just get off this subject for now?" I asked. My frozen heart very nearly started beating again with worry about whether or not Rowan would become attracted to this new girl.

"Okay. Sorry Kristen, it probably wasn't the best subject for this situation. And considering his history…" Carlisle broke off, not wanting to upset me any more than I already was. He looked at the unconscious girl, checking her bite briefly. It had healed into nothing more than a scar while we'd been talking. I listened out for her heart, hearing it had now steadied slightly, very gradually slowing. Eventually it would stop and she would wake a vampire.

Rowan opened the door a crack, peeking in nervously.

"Kristen?" he asked timidly. I sighed, walking out onto the landing. His eyes were red from the girl's blood, so I knew he wouldn't be at school for a while.

"What is it Rowan?" I asked him softly.

"I'm sorry about biting that girl. She was in my geography class, and her blood smelled more tempting than anything I'd ever smelled in my entire time as a vampire. It wasn't hard to lure her into that classroom with the pretence that I had to talk to her. Then, as soon as the door was closed, I bit her. She didn't even get a chance to scream. I'm sorry Kristen; I should've kept my thirst under more control." He said softly, looking ashamed. I hugged him to show that he was forgiven. "I probably won't be allowed to go back to school because of this incident." He added and I tightened my grip on him.

"Rowan, you will be allowed to go back to school, but this girl won't until her eyes change to the golden colour. Otherwise she'd scare everyone else, including her friends." I said and Rowan sighed, resting his chin on my shoulder.

"What about my eyes? Are they still golden, or have they gone red too?" he asked me.

"No, they've gone red. Which means that you won't be able to go to school until her blood goes out of your system. Just remember, whenever you get thirsty at school, go hunting. Get the teacher to let you go to the bathroom if you're in class, or excuse yourself from the other kids during breaks. Just don't try and lure any more students into a deserted classroom at lunchtime." I told him and he nodded.

The rest of the family arrived home later on that afternoon, entering the house, looking grave. It appeared they already knew what was going on. They all put their bags into their rooms in silence, before walking in to see the girl. Rosalie came out, looking shocked.

"What is it Rosalie?" I asked her.

"I recognise her. She's in my Maths class. Her name's Jacinta." She replied and I nodded gravely.

"Okay, but it appears that she'll be joining the family." I said and she sighed.

"Are you sure Rowan won't…?" she asked me and I sighed deeply.

"I can hope not, but if he does, I'll need to deal with it appropriately. And by that, I do not mean killing her." I said.

"Don't worry Kristen, he's not going to." Alice said as she walked past. I smiled.

"Thank you Alice." I said and she flashed a grin in my direction.

Three days later, as Carlisle and I were watching over Jacinta, we heard her heart stop. Carlisle had taken three days off work to make sure she survived.

She opened her eyes, looking around curiously. Her eyes rested for a moment on me, then on Carlisle.

"Where am I? Who are you?" she asked us, her eyes bright red. Carlisle and I sighed.

"Jacinta, you're in the Cullen household, to put it simply." Carlisle explained. "My name is Carlisle Cullen, and this is my adopted daughter, Kristen Cullen."

"How do you know my name?" she asked Carlisle suspiciously, her eyes narrowing.

"Courtesy of Rosalie." I said. "I'm assuming you remember who she is?"

"If that's Rosalie Hale you're talking about, then yes. She's in my Maths class." Jacinta replied.

"We heard." I said.

"Why does my throat feel like it's on fire?" she asked. Carlisle sighed.

"Kristen, would you like to have the honour of explaining it to her?" he asked me.

"Okay. Jacinta, you may not believe this, and believe me I didn't at first either, but you're a vampire." I said softly to her, but she shook her head.

"I don't believe you. Vampires are fantasy; they don't exist." She said and Carlisle and I sighed. Carlisle stood up and went to walk out of the room.

"I just need to get something. I'll be right back." He said, leaving the room.

"Believe me Jacinta, vampires do exist. Look at me. Does my skin look as though I'm human?" I asked her.

"You just have pale skin. There are plenty of pale people around." She said and I sighed.

"Okay then, place your hand on your chest and feel for a heartbeat." I said and she did as she was told, her red eyes widening when she realised she didn't have a heartbeat.

"My heart's not beating! How is this possible?" she exclaimed and I sighed again, placing my hand on her shoulder.

"That's what I was saying." I said, just as Carlisle walked into the room, a small mirror in his hand. He handed the mirror to Jacinta.

"Have a look at yourself. Warning, though; you will be shocked." He said and she looked in the mirror and clapped her hand over her mouth in shock.

"My eyes…my eyes are bright red! I must be dreaming! This just can't be real!" she exclaimed.

"That's exactly what I said when I first found out. Jacinta, you are a vampire. Just like everyone in this house." I explained calmly to her.

"But if I'm a vampire, how did I become one? I don't remember being bitten by anyone." She said.

"Do you remember Rowan Cullen?" I asked her and she nodded.

"Yes. Is he a vampire, too?" she asked and I nodded.

"Yes he is. He was the one that bit you." I told her and her jaw dropped.

"I remember he'd led me into that deserted classroom and closed the door after me, before he started advancing on me. I remember he leant in as though to whisper in my ear, before I felt pain. The last thing I remember before now is pain as though my entire body was on fire." She said, her eyes widening.

"That pain was the venom going through your veins." Carlisle explained.

"So, Rosalie's a vampire, too then?" she asked and we nodded, smiling. "By the way, how long do vampires live?" she asked us, curiosity evident in her eyes.

"Vampires, supposing they're not killed beforehand, can live for eternity. And the only known way to kill a vampire is to tear them into hundreds of pieces and throw them into a fire. Though, tearing them into little pieces is not necessary, it just means they can't fight back." I explained to her and she looked shocked.

"So vampires can't be killed by a stake to the heart?" she asked.

"No. The stake would break if you tried to stick it into a vampire's chest. A vampire's skin is harder than the strongest metal. Only another vampire's teeth can break it." I said and she nodded, understanding dawning on her face. "But we'd better take you hunting, before we take you to meet the rest of the family." I added and she nodded, standing up.

"Kristen, the others are at school. Esme, Rowan, Nessie, Krystal and Devlin are the only ones home." Carlisle told me and I nodded, smiling.

"I know. She can meet the others when they get home. But she still needs to hunt, and get used to the fact that she is a vampire." I told him.

"I'd better come too, because I need to hunt." He said.

"Alright. Come with us Jacinta." I said, leading Jacinta towards the window. "Jump. It's the traditional way we hunt if we're in a second-storey room." I said, opening the window and jumping out. Jacinta hesitated, before closing her eyes and jumping. She landed on her feet and opened her eyes, looking around in shock. Carlisle soon landed next to us.

"Are we ready?" he asked and I nodded, but Jacinta looked unsure.

"But how do vampires hunt? I don't know anything about hunting." She said and I sighed.

"Okay, close your eyes and listen to your surroundings." I said and she did as she was told.

"What can you hear?" Carlisle asked her.

"Leaves rustling, water running and…hearts beating?" she said, opening her eyes in surprise.

"Yes, vampires are able to hear hearts beating." I explained and she nodded.

"Now if you close your eyes again and take a deep breath." Carlisle said. She did as she was told.

"What can you smell?" I asked her.

"I can smell vampire, and rather sweet blood…" she said and Carlisle and I looked at each other. I knew we were thinking the same thing. There were humans approaching, and if they got too close, we'd be in trouble.

"Okay Jacinta, come with us. Our family doesn't attack humans, and we only hunt animals. That sweet blood you could smell is that of humans." Carlisle said to her and she nodded, running after us. We ran west towards a rather wide river. We easily jumped over the river, when Jacinta stopped. We stopped next to her.

"Wow, we're fast…" she said in amazement. "Are all vampires able to run this fast, without even getting exhausted?" she asked us.

"Yes. Vampires are naturally very strong and very fast. We're designed to kill. No living animal could ever outrun us or fight us off." I explained. Jacinta nodded, before noticing the colour of our eyes.

"Will my eyes eventually turn black, or does the eye colour of vampires vary like it does with humans?" she asked us.

"Our eyes are only black because we're thirsty. Our eyes are usually a golden colour. Vampires that feed on humans all have red eyes because of the human blood they consume. Vampires like us, however, have golden eyes when we're not thirsty. Your eyes are red because of your blood still present in your body. Eventually that blood will disappear and if you continue hunting animals with us, your eyes will turn to the golden colour." Carlisle explained and she nodded again.

"Okay." She said.

"Well, we're nowhere near the humans, and there are still plenty of animals nearby to hunt. Let your instincts take over when you hunt. Kristen and I will be standing by in case anything goes wrong." Carlisle said and Jacinta ran off into the distance. Carlisle and I ran after her to make sure she was alright and we saw her take down a kangaroo. She looked up once it was dead and ran after an emu. The emu tried to run, jerking this way and that, trying to throw off its pursuer, but Jacinta caught up to it easily and took it down, biting its throat. Carlisle and I couldn't help but laugh at the performance. Eventually, she looked up, smiling as she walked up to us.

"Done." She said and we nodded.

"Kristen, you can hunt here, because of your ability, and I'll be back soon. Jacinta, could you please stay here with Kristen?" he said and Jacinta nodded as she sat down. Carlisle chuckled as he ran off after his own prey. I willed a wallaby into my arms and held it out in front of me.

"Hey look Jacinta, I caught a Wobbly!" I exclaimed to Jacinta, laughing. She was looking shocked.

"How the hell did you do that?" she asked me.

"I'm telekinetic." I replied and she nodded. I bit into the wallaby's soft throat and felt its warm blood run down my throat, leaving a pleasurable taste in my mouth. I dropped the dead wallaby just as Carlisle ran over.

"Are we ready to go introduce Jacinta to the rest of the family?" he asked me.

"Yep." I said as Jacinta stood up, the three of us running back towards the house.

We'd barely got halfway there, when a loud snapping sound distracted us, stopping us in our tracks. We looked towards the sound, beginning to jog towards it.

Eventually, without warning, the scent of a human's blood hit us like a tonne of bricks and Jacinta disappeared.

"Jacinta!" Carlisle called after her as he and I sprinted after her. "Kristen – telekinesis!" he said to me and I pulled Jacinta towards me using my telekinetic ability. She was struggling to escape again and chase that human, but I held her firmly. Suddenly, a scream of agony split the air, startling us.

"Call me if you need my help, Carlisle!" I called out to Carlisle, still holding Jacinta. I saw him raise his hand, acknowledging my words as he dashed towards the sound.

Finding that Jacinta was beginning to become a real handful to keep under control, I pushed her against a nearby tree and held her there with my telekinetic ability.

"Kristen!" I heard Carlisle's voice, filled with concern, fill the air and, still holding Jacinta with my telekinetic ability, I followed his voice at a run. I arrived in a clearing and a horrible scene met my eyes. A human girl looking no older than about thirteen or fourteen was half sitting against a tree, a rather thick bough trapping her there. She was unconscious at this point in time, but I could hear her erratic heartbeat.

"Who is she?" I asked Carlisle, shocked.

"I'm not sure. But judging by her camera, she's probably not from these parts." He said and I looked briefly at her, then at her camera. That was when I realised that Jacinta was no longer struggling against me. I looked at her and realised that she was looking at the girl with an expression of shock.

"Are you alright Jacinta?" I asked her, and in my peripheral vision I saw Carlisle lift up the large bough with one hand from on top of the girl, and lay it down next to a tree, kneeling next to her to clean her cuts. "Um Carlisle, it appears that she was bitten…" I said and he looked up and then noticed the bite to her throat.

"It appears you were right, Kristen." He said to me and I smiled. Jacinta walked slowly towards the girl, but her expression wasn't hungry…instead it was one of concern. I walked towards them and Jacinta and I knelt next to the girl and that was when I realised the reason behind her erratic heartbeat. The heart was regulating slightly and Carlisle and I looked briefly at each other with shock.

"The venom has reached her heart." Carlisle said, but I shook my head slowly.

"Not just then, though. It would've reached her heart before I'd even arrived on the scene." I said and he looked at me.

"It was erratic when I'd arrived on the scene, too. This only points to one thing. The venom had reached her heart before even I'd arrived on the scene." He mused, before standing up and lifting the girl into his arms. Jacinta and I stood up, preparing to run home, when Jacinta bent down and picked something up.

"What have you got there Jacinta?" I asked her and she handed me a passport.

"It fell out of the girl's pocket when Carlisle lifted her." She said and I opened the passport, seeing the name and age of the girl.

"It's her passport. Her name's Elizabeth Maxi Stenstra and she's thirteen years old." I said, flicking through the passport. "She lived in England, so must've only been a tourist here."

Carlisle walked over, looking over my shoulder at the passport.

"But what's a thirteen year old girl doing here alone?" he asked.

"I'm not sure." I said and we ran home.

Arriving home, we saw Esme standing in the doorway, her hands on hips, her eyebrows raised.

"Another one?" she asked, obviously trying not to laugh. Suddenly, Rowan appeared in and leapt at me.

"Kristen! Who's that?" he asked as he hit the floor with a resounding _thud_.

"_He hit the floor, he hit the floor, next thing you know, he got distracted by a_…girl?" Emmett sang as he ran into the room and I glared at him, throwing him across the room with my telekinetic ability.

"Kristen, you know better than to fight your brother inside!" Esme scolded me and Jacinta looked at us, one eyebrow raised.

"Esme, he's not my brother…at least not in the biological sense of the word." I said and we all started laughing.

"Um weren't you supposed to be at school, Emmett?" Carlisle asked Emmett, calming down.

"School finished for the day. The others are home too. Rose's gone hunting, Alice and Jasper I really don't want to know what they're getting up to…and the same with Edward and Bella." Emmett laughed in reply and I clapped my hand to my forehead, shuddering with the thought of what those two couples could be doing.

"Emmett, _please_ keep your thoughts to yourself! That was just unnecessary!" Rowan exclaimed, shuddering hard.

"Kristen, we'd better get this one up to one of the spare bedrooms." Carlisle said to me and I nodded, following him up the stairs and into one of the unoccupied bedrooms on the second floor. Carlisle laid her on the bed, keeping her pulse in check.

"Carlisle, don't you think we'd better go introduce Jacinta to the rest of the family?" I asked him and he nodded. We walked downstairs and saw Jacinta still standing nervously near the back door, as the remainder of the Cullen kids walked down the stairs after us. Alice had obviously told them about the introductions.

"Okay, to those of you who don't know, this is Jacinta." Carlisle began. "And Jacinta, this is my wife Esme, and our 'foster children' Edward, his wife Bella and their daughter Renesmee; Alice and her husband Jasper, Rosalie's husband Emmett, and these are Kristen and Rowan's children, Krystal and Devlin." He said, motioning to each person as he said their name. Suddenly, the dogs came running over, barking happily. "Oh, and these are our family pets, Dalmatio, Reggie and Jumpy." He added, laughing as the dogs began sniffing Jacinta. Jacinta smiled.

"Pleased to meet you all." She said softly.

"By the way Carlisle, a vampire's going to come looking for Elizabeth. I can't see when, but he's going to try and kill her." Alice said, before noticing Jacinta's expression. "I have the ability to see the future. But it changes with what people decide." She said. "And Jasper is able to feel and control people's emotions, Edward can read minds, Rowan can both _read_ people's minds and put _his_ thoughts into their minds, Kristen is telekinetic and has the ability to put her vampiric strength into objects that she touches, Bella can shield people's minds, and Renesmee, or Nessie as we call her, can put her thoughts and memories into whoever she touches." She added, explaining everyone's supernatural abilities.

"Okay…um by the way, the dogs are becoming bored." Jacinta said and we all looked at her, expressions of confusion evident on all our faces.

"Do you have an ability like mine except with animals, Jacinta?" Jasper asked her.

"It seems so…and I can also read their minds. Dalmatio is wondering whether one of us is going to play with her." Jacinta said and Bella recovered quickly.

"The kids can play with the dogs and I'll supervise. You guys had better figure out how to avoid this vampire coming to kill that new girl upstairs." Bella said and we nodded as the children ran to the dogs. Bella walked over to them and sat on the couch, while the rest of us sat around the dining table to figure out how to avoid another confrontation.

Suddenly, while we were sitting around the table, a vampire with short blonde hair, bright red eyes and very pale skin strolled calmly through the back door, smiling evilly.


	30. Chapter 29: Elizabeth Maxi Stenstra

_Chapter 29: Elizabeth Maxi Stenstra_

We looked at this strange vampire, all our expressions shocked. Suddenly, Edward and Rowan both stood up in their defensive positions and snarled at the vampire. At this point, we all knew he was a threat and stood up in our defensive positions, Jacinta at the back. The vampire looked taken aback, before realising we knew what he was here for.

"So she is here?" he asked, amused. "Elizabeth has been rather…how shall I put it…_cruel_ lately."

"In your mind." Edward muttered and the vampire looked at him.

"Not just in my mind. She's been cruel to people, and should therefore not live." He said.

_He's lying._ Rowan put into my mind. _She was unknowingly cruel to others, but she's only 13._

"You're not and nothing close to the grim reaper. So you have no right to go deciding other people's fates. Let nature do that." I said and the vampire looked stumped.

"I've been stumped," he said, looking from Rowan to Carlisle to me. "By a bint." Rowan leapt at him in anger, knocking him back out into the forest, where he tore a chunk out of his throat. Emmett and Edward ran outside to join Rowan in killing this vampire.

_Can I have a little more help in killing Heath?_ Rowan said to me in our minds and I indicated Rosalie and Jasper follow me. Together we ran outside to join Rowan, Emmett and Edward in killing the vampire named Heath. We attacked him, tearing chunks out of his body, and I ran with Jasper to start a fire. We started the fire quickly and Jasper and I stayed by it to make sure it didn't go out of control.

"Rowan! The fire's started! Get him here!" I shouted out to Rowan and I saw him, Edward, Rosalie and Emmett dragging Heath towards us. They threw him into the fire and we heard his screams as he died.

With Heath dead, we put out the fire and ran back home to see Carlisle, Esme and Bella standing in the kitchen, looking worried.

"Don't worry, he's dead." Edward said a crooked smile on his face, which caused Bella to smile as she threw herself at him. "Um Bella, you're not human anymore, you know?" he added as he carried her upstairs. Carlisle and Esme looked briefly at each other, smiling. Rowan placed his arm around my waist, smirking at me.

"It all worked out nicely. We're all at least _moderately_ safe." Jasper said as he left to walk upstairs, where I knew Alice was in their room.

"I think it's best if we get the kids to bed now Rowan." I said to Rowan and he nodded.

"Devlin! Time for bed, son." He called to his son and Devlin came running towards his father. I smiled, walking up to Krystal and lifting her into my arms.

"Come on Krystal. Time for bed." I said to her. "Say goodnight to Carlisle and Esme, guys." I said and the children looked at Carlisle and Esme, who smiled.

"Goodnight Carlisle and Esme." The twins said softly.

"Goodnight guys." Carlisle and Esme said to them as Rowan and I carried the little ones upstairs and to their bedroom. We lay them in their bed, tucking them in, kissing both gently on the forehead.

"Goodnight guys. Sleep tight." I said softly.

"'Night Mummy." Devlin said, stifling a yawn as he and his sister slowly drifted into sleep. I looked at Rowan, smiling.

"Come with me." I whispered, taking his hand and leading him into our bedroom.

Two and a half days later, we were in the kitchen talking about what we should do with the girl when she woke. Suddenly, we heard a crashing sound, and ran out to the stairs, where the sound was coming from. Crumpled in a heap at the bottom of the stairs, slowly picking herself up, was Elizabeth.

"Damn…no one told me there were stairs here…" she muttered as she brushed herself down. That was when she noticed us standing there. "Wait…this isn't my house…who are you? What have you done with me? Where have you taken me?" she asked us, looking around. Carlisle sighed.

"Elizabeth, calm down. I'm Carlisle Cullen; this is my wife, Esme, and our adopted children." He said and Elizabeth looked around.

"How do you know my name?" she asked Carlisle suspiciously.

"When we saved you and brought you here, your passport fell out of your pocket and we had a look to see your name." Carlisle replied and she looked around at us again.

"What do you mean when you saved me?" she asked him.

"You may not believe this Elizabeth, but you were bitten by a vampire. That's what you are now. You were dying." He said.

"But…that doesn't make sense…what do you mean I was dying?" she asked us and I sighed.

"You had a large branch crushing you and we had to lift it off you. A vampire had already attacked you before we found you, which is probably why you had a branch on you. Several of your ribs were broken, and your lung had been punctured, which means that if we'd tried to keep you human, you'd have died anyway." I explained and understanding began to dawn on her face.

"So…where am I?" she asked, looking around at the house.

"The Cullen household. We're about 93 miles northeast of Melbourne." Carlisle said and Elizabeth nodded slowly as she took this in.

"Wait, so all this means that I'm a vampire?" she asked us and we nodded.

"Yes. The venom had already spread before we got to you, which meant that there was no way we could've prevented you from becoming a vampire, even if we'd wanted to." I said and she nodded slowly.

"My throat burns." She said after a while.

"You're thirsty. We'd better take you hunting." Carlisle said softly. Elizabeth nodded as she looked around once more. "But before we do, I need to ask you one question." He added.

"Fire away." She said.

"Do you wish to join our family? If so, you'll need to abide by our one rule: don't attack humans." He said to her and she thought for a moment.

"Okay." She said finally. Carlisle smiled.

"Alright. Who needs to hunt?" he asked, looking around at us. Jacinta, Jasper, Esme, Emmett, Edward and I all stepped forward. "Okay, let's go then." He said and the hunting party all ran to the back door.

"By the way Elizabeth, with hunting, just let your instincts take over." I said to her and she nodded as we ran away from the incoming scent of humans. We skirted around a small clearing and found a group of kangaroos. Everyone ran after a kangaroo and I willed one into my arms.

When we'd all finished feeding, we ran back home, meeting the rest of the family.

"So what're everyone's names?" she asked us. "I know Carlisle and Esme, but not everyone else's names."

"I'm Kristen, this is my boyfriend Rowan, and our children Krystal and Devlin; this is Rosalie, and her husband Emmett; Alice and her husband Jasper; Edward, his wife Bella and their daughter Renesmee; and this is Jacinta. Oh, and the dogs, Reggie, Jumpy and Dalmatio." I said, introducing everyone. "And the room you woke in will be your room for if you need any time alone. As vampires, we don't sleep, but we do occasionally need some time alone." I added and she nodded.


	31. Chapter 30: Dangerous Friendships

_**Disclaimer:**__ I do not own, or claim to own any characters or settings you may recognise. They belong to Stephenie Meyer. I am not making any profit out of writing this._

_Chapter 30: Dangerous friendships_

After about a week, Jacinta had started school, and I'd finally been accepted a job at the hospital.

Carlisle and I were at work one Wednesday, when my mobile phone rang. I sighed, taking it from my pocket.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Kristen, we'll need you and Carlisle at the river near home." Came Esme's worried voice. Carlisle's head snapped up when he heard her voice over the phone. He held his hand out for the phone and I sighed.

"Carlisle wants to talk to you." I informed her before handing the phone to Carlisle.

"What's wrong Esme?" he asked her concernedly.

"Two girls have been attacked by some strange vampire. They look no older than about sixteen and they're wearing the uniform of the school that the kids are attending." She said and Carlisle froze.

"Are they conscious?" he asked her.

"No. But they're bleeding profusely. I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to be exposed to their blood." She replied.

"Alright; we're on our way. Hold your breath, and we'll be there in five minutes." He said seriously. "And please keep tabs on their hearts."

"Okay." She said and Carlisle snapped the phone shut, handing it back to me. We signed out from the hospital and ran to my car, where I drove, above the speed limit, back home. I parked the car in the driveway at home and we ran into the forest. Running towards the river, we saw Esme standing on the opposite bank, her eyes black as she knelt next to two unconscious forms. Carlisle and I leapt over the river and I knelt next to the unconscious girls while Carlisle told Esme to go hunt. Esme ran off and he knelt next to me. We kept pressure on the girls' wounds, knowing there was no point in removing the venom; it had already reached the heart of one of the girls, and the other was dying anyway. A few drops of moisture fell on my hands and I looked up, seeing grey clouds covering the sky, drops of rain beginning to fall.

"We'd better get them home before they freeze." Carlisle said to me as he and I lifted the girls into our arms and ran back home, taking them into a spare room. I laughed.

"Carlisle, if newborn vampires keep showing up, there's not going to be any room for them all; we're starting to run out of empty rooms as it is." I said and he chuckled.

"Yes, you're right." He said, just as the heart of the other girl sped up dramatically, while the first girl's heart had regulated slightly, gradually slowing. I looked at them. The first girl had long, straight blonde-brown hair and was just below average height, while the second was very thin with long, curly brown hair. Both girls looked about sixteen.

"You know, the question now is who the hell are they? I mean, it's obvious they're from that school, but who are they and what were they doing at the river? Why weren't they at school?" I asked nobody in particular, but with Carlisle being the only person in the room it sounded like I was asking him.

"I don't know Kristen. For all we know, they could've been on a school excursion, and got lost and attacked, but we don't know. We'll ask the others when they get home from school." He said and I nodded.

"That's a good point. They might know them." I agreed, just as Esme appeared in the room, walking towards us, looking concerned. She handed Carlisle something and he looked at it curiously.

"What's this?" he asked his wife.

"One of their purses. I'm not sure what it has in it, but it may have an ID." She replied and Carlisle sighed, opening the purse he held. Inside was an ID card, obviously for the blonde girl.

"Okay we know who the blonde one is. Her name is Kat, and she's in year eleven." He said and I nodded, looking at the unconscious Kat.

The remainder of the Cullens arrived home shortly afterwards, traipsing onto the first floor, Rowan, Jacinta and Elizabeth coming up to the second, where we were, to put their bags into their rooms and get their homework done.

"Kristen, you go do what you have to. I'll look after the girls." Carlisle told me and I nodded, walking out of the room and into the room Rowan and I shared. Rowan was in there, rushing through his homework. He finally put down his pencil and closed his book, looking up and walking towards me, pulling me into a hug.

"How was work today, Kristen?" he asked me and I sighed.

"I only spend about half a day at the hospital. Esme called shortly after one this afternoon, telling us that we were needed near the river. Two girls from your school had been attacked by vampires. They're already about halfway through their transformation now. Carlisle's looking after them." I said and he looked confused as he studied my face.

"You mean two more girls have been turned?" he asked me and I nodded. "Could I see them? I may know them. An excursion group returned this afternoon, saying they'd lost two girls on the way. Jacinta knew the girls that went missing from the excursion group as Kat and Anouk. They were two of her friends, and she's distraught." He said and I nodded.

"Okay, but we'll grab Jacinta and show the girls to her as well to see if they're the same girls that went missing." I said and he nodded. We walked towards Jacinta's room, knocking gently on the closed door. She opened the door slightly and it was obvious to me that she was very upset. "Are you okay Jacinta?" I asked her and she sighed, opening the door wider to allow us in.

"Two of my friends went missing on their Natural Science excursion, and no one knows where they are." She said softly and I sighed, placing my hand on her shoulder.

"Do you want to come with us? Two girls have been found by Esme today after being attacked by a vampire. They were wearing your school's uniform, and we found one of their purses, with an ID saying that Kat is the name of one of the girls." I said and she looked up, shocked but hopeful.

"Please show me Kristen." She said and I led both her and Rowan to the room that Carlisle was looking after the girls. He looked up as we approached. Jacinta stopped dead when she noticed the girls.

"Are they alright, Carlisle?" she asked Carlisle, who nodded.

"Do you know them?" he asked her.

"Their names are Kat Lewis and Anouk Luther. They're two of my friends at school. They were on a Natural Science excursion and went missing. None of us knew what had happened to them." She said and Carlisle sighed and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"According to Esme, they were attacked by a vampire, but she didn't see their attacker because they'd run off by the time she'd got there, and she immediately called Kristen and I at the hospital." He explained and she nodded slowly, taking deep breaths. "And don't worry; they'll be okay, but we'll need to let the authorities know that we've found them alive." He said.

"Carlisle, I wouldn't suggest that," came Alice's voice as the owner walked into the room, looking at Carlisle.

"Alice, their families should find out that they're alive." Carlisle told her, but she shook her head.

"That's not a good idea. Remember, we're trying to keep our identity a secret, and their families are going to find out what they're about to become, and hence what we are." Alice disagreed. "A search party's already on the scene, and they're getting dangerously close to the house. If we're not careful, the vampire that attacked the girls will attack the search party. We need to get them away from this area. Someone obviously knows we're here, and are trying to expose us. That someone being a vampire." She added, before her eyes went blank and her jaw dropped in horror.

"What is it Alice?" Carlisle asked her, concern obvious in his golden eyes.

"We're too late; the vampire's already caught up to the search party." she said and Carlisle took a deep breath, exhaling slowly.

"Alright. Jacinta, Rowan, please look after the girls. I'll tell Esme to stay as well, in case you two get thirsty. Alice, Kristen, come with me, please. Alice, could you please go get Jasper and Emmett?" he said and Alice nodded, running out of the room as Carlisle and I walked down the stairs together, seeing Esme cleaning, as usual. She looked up as we approached her.

"What's going on? Why the grave faces? Did the girls die?" she asked and Carlisle held up a hand to stop the flow of questions.

"The girls are still alive, and I've got Jacinta and Rowan looking after them. Alice just told us that a search party is out searching for the girls, and the vampire that attacked the girls has just attacked the search party. We'll have a few casualties, it appears." He said and she clapped her hand to her mouth in horror.

"I'm coming, Carlisle." She said firmly, but he placed his hand on her shoulder, shaking his head.

"No Esme. We don't even know if there's only one vampire. There could be more than one, for all we know. I need you to stay here and keep an eye on the two unconscious girls for us." He said and she sighed, nodding.

"Okay. Please be careful, though." She said and he nodded as he and I walked towards Alice, Jasper and Emmett, who were waiting at the back door of the house. Together we ran out into the forest, following the scent of blood that was reaching us. I could see Jasper's eyes turn black as he smelt the blood.

"Jasper, hold your breath; it'll help." I said to him as we ran and he nodded, smiling slightly at me.

We arrived to see a horrific scene: bodies littered the immediate area, only a few humans still alive, while two vampires were feeding from the humans in their hands. We ran forward, Emmett and Jasper lunging at the vampires while Alice, Carlisle and I tried to convince the three remaining humans to run.

"But – what about you?" one of them asked, refusing to run.

"We'll be okay, but we need you to run, and please don't tell anyone about what you've seen here. This is a secret that needs to be kept by us." Carlisle explained and the humans hesitated.

"Run; it's too dangerous to stay here!" I urged them and they ran into the distance.

"Alice, I need you to follow them and make sure they get back okay." Carlisle told Alice and she nodded, running after the three humans.

"Carlisle, can you hear what I can hear?" I asked Carlisle.

"I can. If you're hearing a heartbeat, that is." He said and I nodded. He and I ran towards the sound of a weak heart on the verge of stopping.

It was a man that had been dropped before the vampire holding him could drain him of his blood. By the position and location of his body, he'd been dropped when Emmett attacked his attacker. He had short brown hair and tan coloured skin. Carlisle and I knelt next to him, Carlisle applying pressure to his wound.

"By the amount of blood he lost, I'd say that removing the venom would kill him." I said and Carlisle nodded slowly and gravely.

"But by the sound of his heart, he'll die soon anyway." He said, but the man's heart strengthened, speeding up dramatically. "Okay maybe not." He added, laughing humourlessly.

"Hmm…and it looks like it's going to rain, so we'd better get him back to the house before he freezes to death." I said, just as we heard Jasper yell.

"Kristen, Carlisle, can I get a bit of help here?" he asked and Carlisle told me to go help Jasper while he tended to the human man. I stood up and ran at the vampire that Jasper was fighting, tearing the head off.

"We'll need to start a fire." I said, holding the vampire's head away from the body. Jasper quickly started a fire, tending to it while I threw the vampire's head in, doing the same with the body. With that, I attacked the vampire Emmett appeared to be struggling with, pushing her towards the fire, eventually forcing her to fall in. we watched her slowly burn, before Jasper put the fire out and we ran to the no longer bleeding human man. His heart had regulated slightly and his wound had healed into nothing more than a scar.

I could feel drops of rain falling on me and Carlisle lifted the man into his arms.

"It's time we got him home." Carlisle said.

"Carlisle, hand him to me; Esme's gonna freak if she saw you carrying another man in your arms." I joked and he sighed, handing the man to me, before we ran back home.

"By the way Kristen, wouldn't Rowan freak if he saw you carrying another man?" Emmett asked me as we ran.

"Probably; but at least me carrying this man in my arms doesn't look as bad as Carlisle carrying him." I said and we all started laughing, including Carlisle, despite the situation at hand.

Arriving home, Emmett ran upstairs, to Rosalie, we guessed, while Jasper said he was going to hunt. Carlisle and I walked upstairs and lay the half-turned man in one of the only empty rooms remaining.

"It appears we'll have to swap occasionally. I'll start off watching him–" he indicated the man. "–while you watch the girls." He said and I nodded. I walked out of the room and next door into the girls' room, where Rowan, Jacinta and Esme were watching the girls, keeping tabs on their hearts. They looked up as I entered.

"How did you go?" Esme asked, concerned when she noticed Carlisle hadn't entered the room with me.

"Only four of the humans survived. One is in the process of being turned, while the other three are being escorted safely out of the forest by Alice with nothing but minor shock. They promised not to reveal our identity, but they will have to let their superiors know of the deaths of their comrades. Carlisle's looking after the fourth man, while I don't want to know what Emmett's doing, and Jasper's gone hunting." I explained.

"Did Carlisle have to turn the man, or had he already been bitten?" Esme asked, concerned.

"He'd already been bitten. The vampire was in the process of killing him when Emmett attacked her." I explained and Esme's eyes widened.

"The vampire was female?" she asked.

"That one was. There was another, a male, who I think may have been her mate." I said and Rowan rolled his eyes.

"Nomads seem to enjoy hunting with their mates. There's only once that I can recall us not having to kill a vampire and their mate; and that was when Heath attacked." He said and we smiled slightly.

"Rowan, you've only had to fight off two groups of vampires before, and that was Heath and Sedren's little 'coven'. You weren't even around when we had to fight off the Volturi." I said to him and he looked confused.

"What are the Volturi?" Jacinta asked me.

"The Volturi _were_ the 'royal' vampire coven, but they we had to kill them to prevent them killing us. At that time, we lived in America." Esme explained and Jacinta nodded slowly.

"And who's Sedren?" she asked.

"Sedren was the vampire that turned me here in Australia, but in Tasmania, as opposed to Victoria. He'd followed me to America, and threw Rowan into the fireplace at his own house, causing him to have to be turned." I explained and she nodded.

"Wait; that vampire that killed my mother was…his name was Sedren?" Rowan asked me softly, and I could see emotion evident on his face as he thought of his parents.

"Yes, I'm sorry Rowan." I said softly.

"His mother was killed when Sedren attacked the house?" Esme asked softly, looking shocked.

"Unfortunately, yes. It hasn't been easy on him, but he's been getting there." I replied in no more than a whisper. I knew, however, that Rowan and Jacinta would hear me anyway.

I could see the emotion growing in Rowan's face and I sighed.

"Let's not talk about this any more. This is a very touchy subject, where Rowan's concerned, and I don't want to upset him." I said and Jacinta and Esme nodded.

"Sorry Rowan." Esme said softly to Rowan, who nodded, smiling slightly at her.

"That's alright Esme." He replied, waving her apology aside. I couldn't help but smile as I walked up to Rowan, hugging him. That was what I loved about him; he was always just so forgiving of other people's mistakes and he'd do anything to help them. I guess I had to learn to be that forgiving. I had my flaws, and Rowan didn't seem to have any flaws at all. There was only one way to put it; he was _perfect_…okay, maybe he did have one flaw – his lack of self-control when it came to women – but other than that, he was perfect. I felt like the luckiest girl on the face of the planet to have his love.

I looked at the time and realised it was nearly ten at night, and as far as I knew, Krystal and Devlin, despite having been fed, hadn't been sent to bed.

"Rowan, it's almost ten, and Krystal and Devlin should go to bed now, I think." I told Rowan, who nodded, kissing me briefly as he walked out of the room. I knew he would be back to keep me company during the night, after the kids were asleep. Suddenly, however, Alice burst into the room, looking worried.

"Kristen, Carlisle needs you. The man he's looking after isn't doing so well." She said urgently. "I'll watch the girls while you go help him." She added, noticing my worried expression about leaving the two unconscious girls. I nodded, running out of the room and into the last room to see Carlisle with a worried expression on his face as he tried to keep the man alive.

"Carlisle?" I asked as I approached him, realising the unconscious man's heart had weakened, somewhat. Carlisle looked up at me.

"Unfortunately, we're losing him. He appears to have sustained rather serious internal injuries when he was attacked. Including possible internal bleeding. He's obviously losing a fair bit of blood." Carlisle explained and I nodded as I helped him keep the man alive.

"Will you need me to get some blood bags from the hospital?" I asked him softly.

"Yes, but we need his blood type or his blood will reject the new blood." He replied. "And in order to do that, we need to get a sample of his blood." He added and I nodded as I took a scalpel from Carlisle's black bag that he usually had with him. I used the scalpel to cut into a small vein in the crook of the man's elbow, catching the blood that spewed from the wound in a small beaker. I could hear his heart weaken even more when I took a small sample of his blood. With the sample of blood, I placed a sterile cotton ball on the wound, applying enough pressure to stop the bleeding. I handed the beaker to Carlisle, who smiled briefly at me as he left for his study.

I kept a close eye on the man's heart until Carlisle returned five minutes later. He walked up to me, sitting next to me, facing the unconscious man.

"I have the results. His blood type is A Positive." He said and I nodded, standing up.

"I'll be right back. How many blood bags do you want?" I asked him.

"Just one will do for now. If necessary, I'll get you to get another one later on, but one should be enough for now." He said and I nodded, running out of the house and towards the hospital's blood bank.

I returned to the house within two minutes with one blood bag of A Positive-type blood. I handed it to Carlisle, who smiled at me.

"I'll be alright with him now, thank you Kristen. You can go back and look after the girls." He said to me and I nodded, walking out of the room and back into the girls' room.

Alice was still in there, watching the girls. Kat's heart was now quite a lot slower than would be natural, while Anouk's heart was still slowing gradually. Both girls' hearts, however, were still beating strongly, which was good. This meant that both had a high likelihood of surviving into becoming vampires.


	32. Chapter 31: Mass Awakening

_Chapter 31: Mass Awakening_

Three days later, Kat and Anouk regained consciousness while I was looking after the still unconscious man. He'd managed to survive the most critical time of the transformation, and was due to awake soon. I heard voices in the room next door, which sounded like two girls trying to figure out where they were and what was going on. I looked at the man, seeing his eyes flickering open. He looked curiously around, before noticing me, his face showing an expression of curiosity.

"Who are you?" he asked me in a slightly deep voice. He was obviously still young when he was bitten. "And where am I? The last thing I remember is being in a forest where two girls went missing." He said.

"My name is Kristen Cullen. You're in the Cullen household; we brought you here because you were dying." I explained. He looked confused as he took in my features that distinguished me from humans, before shock took over his face.

"I remember a man and a woman attacking our search party. They bit several people and killed them – almost as though they were vampires or something – before the woman attacked me. She grabbed me and bit my throat. That's the last thing I remember." He said and I nodded.

"The two people that attacked you were vampires. And that's what you are." I said.

"Why aren't you scared, then? And why am I not feeling the urge to feed from you?" he asked me.

"Because I'm also a vampire. There are others, too, that live in this house. And the two girls you were looking for are also vampires. The two vampires that attacked you attacked them as well while they were on their excursion." I explained and he nodded slowly. "And I'm assuming you're thirsty. I'd better take you hunting." I added and he placed his hand on his throat, his face flinching slightly from the pain in his throat. He stood up, just as the door to the room opened to reveal Carlisle, Rowan and Jacinta, with the two newborn vampires behind them.

"Ah, it's good to see you're awake." Carlisle said, taking a step forward.

"Who're they?" the man asked me softly.

"That's Carlisle, my adopted father, the brown-headed boy is my boyfriend, Rowan, the girl at the front is Jacinta, while the two behind them are the girls you've been looking for before you were attacked. The blonde one is Kat, while the brunette is Anouk." I replied, indicating the five of them.

"Pleased to meet you." The man replied.

"We probably should've asked you this earlier, but what's your name?" I asked him.

"Matthew Rolone." He replied and I nodded.

"Pleased to meet you Matthew." Carlisle said softly. "Kristen, are you taking him hunting?" he added to me and I nodded.

"Yes, I was just about to when you and the others arrived." I replied and he smiled at me.

"Why don't we all go hunting together? But before we do, we need to ask you three not to attack humans that might be there. And yes vampires are able to live on the blood of animals." Carlisle said and Matthew, Kat and Anouk nodded.

"Alright." They said and we all walked towards the window.

"Are you sure you want us to jump?" Matthew asked uncertainly.

"Don't worry Matthew, we're built much stronger than humans, meaning that we will land completely uninjured." I said and he looked down again and took a deep breath, jumping out. Jacinta, Kat and Anouk jumped after him, Rowan, Carlisle and I following suit. Carlisle, Rowan, Jacinta and I led the three newborns through the trees, over the river and towards a group of kangaroos. Kat and Anouk ran towards one kangaroo each, taking them down, and Matthew ran after a kangaroo.

"You guys hunt; I'll supervise. I don't need to hunt, but you three go hunt." Carlisle said to us and we nodded, Jacinta and Rowan running after the fleeing animals. I willed a kangaroo into my arms and drained it of its blood. When I was done, I watched as Matthew, Kat and Anouk ran after another kangaroo each. I ran after them to ensure they didn't get into trouble, when the scent of human blood hit me. There were humans approaching, and I had to get the newborns out of here before they caught the scent.

"Matthew, Kat, Anouk, Rowan and Jacinta! Come here quickly!" I called and the five vampires I called out to ran up to me. "There are humans approaching. Come on, we'd better get home before the scent becomes too much for you." I said and they nodded as we ran back to Carlisle.

"What's going on guys?" he asked us, before he caught the scent of humans. "Come on." He said quickly as we all ran back home.

Arriving home, we saw Esme standing at the kitchen counter.

"Welcome back." She said, her eyebrows raised. "I trust the hunt went well?" she asked and we smiled.

"The hunt went very well, thank you Esme." Carlisle replied and I smiled slightly, shaking my head.

"Besides a group of humans approaching while three newborns were on the loose." I laughed. I looked briefly at the three new vampires, who were looking confused and nervous.

"Oh yeah. Esme, could you get the others down, too?" I asked Esme, who nodded, looking up at the floor above.

"Edward, Bella, Alice, Jasper, Emmett, Rose, and Elizabeth, could you please come downstairs? And bring the children too, please." she called upstairs and we all heard grumbling that sounded like it was coming from Emmett and Rosalie's room.

"Esme, Rose and I'll be down in a moment. We're a bit busy at the moment." Came Emmett's voice and Carlisle, Rowan, Jacinta and I looked at each other, before starting to laugh. Esme, however, looked unamused.

"Emmett, Rosalie, I know what you two are up to, and I want you to stop it now and greet the new vampires." She called sternly and we heard Emmett and Rosalie's groans as they followed the rest of the Cullen kids down the stairs.

"Okay, after that rather amusing episode, I think we'll start the introductions. For the Cullens – and Hales – this is Kat, Anouk and Matthew. And for you three, this is my wife, Esme, and our foster children, Rosalie and her husband Emmett; Edward, his wife Bella and their daughter Renesmee; Alice and her husband Jasper; Elizabeth; and these are Rowan and Kristen's children, Devlin and Krystal." Carlisle said to everyone, pointing each person out as he said their name. "And for you three, I'm going to ask you if you would like to join our family – or as most vampires would call it, our coven. However, one thing I would like you to know before you give me your answer, is that you do not have to feel inclined to say yes." He asked the three newborns, who looked thoughtful.

"If you do choose not to join us, I must ask you not to hunt where we reside, if you choose to hunt humans; otherwise it would get us into a bit of strife with the police if bodies start appearing near here." I added and the three nodded slowly to show they understood. The three of them talked it over for a short while, before turning to us.

"We'll join your family. Thank you, by the way, for the offer." Matthew said finally.


	33. Chapter 32: Problems

_**AN:**__ lol, I just realised that I had all my characters nodding their heads so much throughout the story that they're almost acting like bobble heads. I'm surprised that nobody pointed this out to me. I must've been very tired when I wrote those chapters!_

_Chapter 32: Problems_

About three months after Matthew, Kat and Anouk joined the family, Kat and Anouk had started back at school, and we were moving on with life as normal…well, as normal as life could be if you were a member of a whole family of vampires. Matthew was staying home with Esme and the children, while Carlisle and I were at work and the rest of the family were at school.

However, as the weekend arrived, Elizabeth received a letter from her father that he and her brothers were flying to Australia from England to see her.

"Elizabeth, you should see them at the airport. Your father obviously didn't hear about your disappearance while he was in England." Carlisle said to her and she sighed, hesitating.

"I don't know, Carlisle. What if he did find out, and also heard that I was found dead?" she asked but Carlisle just smiled.

"Elizabeth, Carlisle's right. For starters, there were no police reports filed to show that you'd been reported missing, and your father wouldn't have sent you a letter saying he'd be flying here to see you if he thought you were dead." Rosalie told her.

"How do you know there was no report that she was missing, Rose?" Carlisle asked her and she smiled guiltily.

"No reason." She said slyly, but Carlisle raised an eyebrow and she sighed, bowing her head. "Alright, I snuck a look at the police reports one night to see whether or not anyone had been reported missing, and whether any of the other newborns had been reported missing or killed. Jacinta was reported missing by her mother, and we already know that Kat and Anouk were reported missing and later 'confirmed' dead, and that Matthew was also confirmed dead by the remaining three from the search party." She admitted.

"Well, it looks like they decided to keep their promise. Or they forgot about the promise, altogether." Emmett said, but Carlisle and Alice shook their heads.

"No, because it was such a traumatic experience for them, it'd be hard to forget about it so soon." Carlisle disagreed and Emmett looked stumped.

"By the way Bethy, how did your father know to send the letter to this address? Did you talk to him or one of your brothers after you were turned, or something?" I asked Elizabeth, using my new nickname for her.

"I spoke to my youngest brother after I was turned, just to let him know that I was alright. He asked where I was, so I gave him our address, telling him to write to me occasionally. I never thought he'd tell Dad." She said and I smiled.

"It's probably a good thing he told your father, Elizabeth. Your father was probably worried sick about you." Carlisle told her softly.

"I guess you're right, but what if he figures out what we are?" she asked.

"We ask him not to tell anyone. You don't have to worry about it, Max. We'll all make sure the secret is kept. Although, considering how clutzy you are, I can't wait to meet the rest of your family. And you're the world's first clutzy vampire!" Emmett laughed and Elizabeth glared at him.

"Emmett, please behave yourself." Rosalie told him, which surprised me. "This is a serious situation. We all know you love laughing at how clutzy humans tend to be, but you need to restrain yourself for now." She said and Emmett sighed, his shoulders slumping.

About a couple of weeks later, we all arrived at Melbourne Airport at 11am and walked towards the gate they were due to be arriving in. I could see Elizabeth looking around nervously for her father and brothers. Jasper obviously felt her nervousness, and attempted to calm her down. She visibly relaxed, just as we heard an excited yell as a young boy who looked no older than about ten run up to her. His heart rate was elevated with obvious excitement. Elizabeth hugged him gently, careful not to let any of her skin touch his. I could see Jasper's eyes slowly turn black as he breathed in the scents of the hundreds of humans around us.

"Hold your breath, Jasper." I heard Alice whisper to him and he nodded; his breathing stopped as he held his breath to prevent himself killing anyone. However, as a man who was obviously Elizabeth's father walked over, I felt as though fire was ripping up _my_ throat. And I was intolerant to human blood – I never found human blood appealing, but this human…this human was different to the rest. For some reason or another, his blood _was_ appealing. We greeted Elizabeth's family and walked towards the baggage claim to collect their luggage. I could see all the newborn vampires and Jasper struggling to keep themselves in control, and Alice was obviously checking their future change with every decision they made.

Once we'd collected their luggage, we walked to the cars, Elizabeth sitting with her family, but even then holding her breath. I was in the same car, sitting in the drivers' seat. I told Elizabeth to sit in the front passenger's seat and let her family sit in the back seat to avoid hurting them as we drove back to our place.

As it was approximately a 2 hour drive back to our place, we stopped by a fast food restaurant on the way, to give the three humans in the back seat some lunch. I payed for their food and they ate hungrily, obviously not having had anything to eat recently on their flight. They would've had breakfast this morning and possibly dinner last night, but because the plane landed at about 11, they wouldn't have had any lunch.

When they'd finished eating, we headed back to the car, Elizabeth's youngest brother holding his still unfinished drink in his hand. I drove us the rest of the way home, parking in the large garage and we all got out of the car. By the cars sitting in the garage, it was obvious that the rest of the family was already home. I led the humans into the house, showing them the room they would be staying in, and they dropped their bags off into the room.

"By the way, what are your names?" I asked them and Elizabeth's father sighed.

"I'm Richard, and these are my sons, Paul and Joshua." He replied with a thick English accent, and I smiled as I nodded in acknowledgement.

"Please to meet you. I'm Kristen, and the rest of the family should be waiting for you out in the living room." I said and they nodded as they followed me out to the spacious living room. The newborns were there, holding their breaths, as were the rest of the family. Carlisle was the only one not holding his breath.

Suddenly, as soon as we'd finished introducing everyone, Alice's jaw dropped in horror and Edward and Rowan looked shocked. Right at that moment, Jasper lunged at the humans. We reacted immediately, Rowan and I defending the humans while Carlisle sent the newborns out to hunt. Rowan and I sent Richard upstairs with Paul and Joshua, but Jasper caught hold of Joshua's wrist, dragging him backwards. I sent Rowan to follow the humans upstairs to make sure they were alright and to protect them, while I stayed with Joshua and Jasper, who had now bitten the child's throat. Carlisle, Alice and I dragged him away and Alice took him hunting, while Carlisle and I nursed the child. Joshua was bleeding heavily; looking around I could see everyone holding their breath, and sighed. I was panicking with the sudden attack.

"Guys, you should all go hunt. Quench your thirst. It'll help." I said and they nodded solemnly, running out the back door. I turned back to Carlisle and Joshua, who was now unconscious, his body twitching slightly with the pain of vampire venom now flowing through his veins. The wound was no longer bleeding, but his heart was weak.

I looked at Carlisle.

"It probably wouldn't be a good idea to attempt to remove the venom now, would it?" I asked. He shook his head.

"No, because it would kill him. He's lost too much blood already, so it would be a bad idea to take any more, even if it means preventing him from becoming a vampire." He said sadly. "Unfortunately, Richard will have to deal with two vampires as children." He added and I sighed.

"That's not exactly a pleasant thought, Carlisle." I said and he nodded.

"I know Kristen, but it's true." He told me and I sighed again.

"You realise this means we'll have to tell Richard and Paul what we are, and what Joshua is about to become." I said and he sighed.

"You're right, and that in itself is unpleasant." He replied.

"We'd better get him up to his room." I said finally and Carlisle nodded. I lifted the young boy easily into my arms and carried him upstairs, Carlisle following. We entered the room to see Rowan in there, trying unsuccessfully to console a worried Richard and a terrified Paul. As I walked to lay Joshua on the bed, Richard walked towards us, looking worried.

"Will he be alright?" he asked and I sighed.

"He will, but there is something you should know about us, and your daughter." I said to him.

"What do you mean?" Paul asked me softly, now sitting on the edge of his brother's bed, now holding the unconscious boy's hand. "His hand's gone cold. Why is his hand cold?" he asked us, looking worried.

"That's what we're about to tell you." I replied softly so as to attempt to console them. I sighed deeply, looking at Carlisle for help. Carlisle saw my expression and took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry to tell you, but your son is about to become a…vampire." Carlisle hesitated on the word 'vampire', I guess trying to find the gentlest way to break the news.

"What do you mean, my son's going to be a vampire? Vampires don't exist." Richard said loudly, standing up in front of Carlisle, displaying the obvious difference in height. We could tell he was trying to intimidate Carlisle into being 'truthful'. Carlisle, however, didn't look intimidated at all. Instead, he just stood calmly in the one spot until Richard calmed down enough for him to continue.

"Dad, wait. It's the only explanation we have. I checked Joshua's pulse and his heart's going so fast that it'll stop." Paul said to his father, taking a step forward. "And besides, we saw Jasper leap at him. Firstly, no one but a vampire could be that strong and fast. That was the most we got to see, but it's obvious that Jasper bit him. Look at the bite mark in his throat." He continued, and Richard, who obviously wasn't happy, sighed, taking a step back.

"You're very observant, Paul. Yes, your observations were correct." Carlisle said softly to Paul. "Unfortunately, Joshua is going to become a vampire. I wish there was something I could do to prevent it, but he's lost too much blood, that if I did, he wouldn't survive. I'm sorry." He added solemnly. Richard was sitting on his bed, frozen. I knew he'd gone into shock. I sighed, walking towards him. I placed my hand comfortingly on his shoulder. The cold of my skin seemed to startle him and he breathed deeply.

"Is…is Elizabeth a…a vampire, too?" he asked me softly and I sighed.

"Yes. This entire family is made up of vampires. We only hunt animals, however, so we're not as dangerous as we would be otherwise. Unfortunately, it can become very difficult to control our thirst. I'm sorry Richard." I said softly. I turned to Rowan, whose eyes were turning black as well. "Rowan, why don't you go look for Jasper? He's obviously upset." I said to him.

_Go hunt. We don't want another accident._ I thought and he nodded slowly, walking out of the room.

"We'll be back soon to check on Joshua. We've got to find the rest of the family." Carlisle explained, noticing the colour of my eyes.

"Alright. Thank you for looking after him." Paul said to us. We nodded as we walked out of the room.

"Carlisle?" I asked as we walked down the stairs. He looked curiously at me.

"Hmm?" he said to show he was listening.

"I'm confused. Usually I'm completely immune to any humans' blood; but for some reason, Richard's blood even tempts me. I'm personally not surprised that Jasper attacked them. What I _am_ surprised about though, is that none of the newborns did. Why do you think I'm affected by Richard's blood like that?" I asked him and he looked thoughtful.

"I'm not entirely sure, Kristen. To be honest, your guess is as good as mine." He said, shrugging. We'd arrived at the back door and we sprinted into the distance. Allowing our senses to take control, I saw Carlisle run in a different direction. I stopped, willing a kangaroo into my arms. I drained the struggling beast of its blood.


	34. Chapter 33: Difficult Decisions

_**Disclaimer:**__ I do not own, or claim to own Twilight or any of its characters. These belong to Stephenie Meyer._

_Chapter 33: Difficult Decisions_

I dropped the dead kangaroo, when I realised there was another heart beating. I looked at the kangaroo, and realised that it was a female, and there was a bulge in her pouch. I bent down and opened the pouch to see a young joey sitting in the pouch.

My frozen heart broke at the sight. This joey had been orphaned, as a result of my thirst. I removed my jumper and gently lifted the baby kangaroo from its mother's pouch and placed it on the jumper, wrapping the jumper securely around it to keep it warm.

Just then, Carlisle, Rowan and Alice ran over, stopping when the saw the joey in my arms.

"What now?" Carlisle asked. Rowan knelt down beside me, looking at the young joey wrapped in my jumper.

_What happened to it?_ Rowan sent into my mind and I sighed.

_I killed a kangaroo without realising that the kangaroo I killed was a mother. This joey is now orphaned._ I thought, knowing he would read my thoughts.

"Oh…" Rowan sighed, placing his hand on my waist.

"What's going on, you two?" Carlisle asked, obviously now getting impatient. I sighed deeply, knowing he wasn't going to be pleased.

"When I killed a kangaroo, I didn't realise that it was a mother. This joey is the dead kangaroo's offspring. I hadn't realised until after the mother was dead that I was orphaning a joey." I explained and Alice sighed, kneeling next to me and gently taking the joey from me.

"It is so adorable. But if it's orphaned, that means that we should raise it until its old enough to live independently." She said and Carlisle sighed.

"Guys, do you even know of the responsibility of raising a young kangaroo?" he asked us.

"Not really," I admitted softly. "But that doesn't mean we can't go to the public library and borrow a book on kangaroos to see what the mother would do in the wild." I added and he sighed, clapping a hand to his forehead.

"Please, Carlisle?" Rowan said. "Because Alice's right – there is no other choice. Either we raise it to independence, or leave it here to die. And I don't think Kristen wants to be responsible for the death of a baby animal. She's already guilty for orphaning it, as it is." He explained and Carlisle sighed again.

"Alright, we'll do what we can." He said and Rowan, Alice and I smiled.

"Thank you Carlisle." We chorused, standing up and running back home with the joey still in Alice's arms. Carlisle caught up to the three of us easily.

"But there's still the risk that if we raise it, it'll grow to trust us and won't know how to get its own food, meaning that it wouldn't survive in the wild." He told us.

"We know. But I'd rather take that risk than have it starve to death before it's even been weaned." I told him and he raised his eyebrows.

"How do you know it hasn't yet been weaned?" he asked.

"It was still latched onto its mother's teat before I took it from the pouch." I explained and he sighed deeply. He was doing an awful lot of sighing today.

"But we don't have any milk from a kangaroo, and I don't think cow's milk would do it any good." He told me and it was my turn to sigh.

"Do you think you could go get it some milk from its mother? We'll have to get it some more when we run out." I said and he nodded. We were back at home now, and we'd stopped running. We stood in the back doorway of the house.

"Alright, but that means I'll need something to hold the milk." He said and I smirked, running into the house, taking Krystal's bottle and running back to Carlisle. "Use this to hold the milk." I told him and he smiled. He took the bottle and ran back to the dead female kangaroo.

I walked slowly up the stairs and into the guests' room to check on Joshua. He was still alive and breathing, though he was still unconscious. I sighed, walking out of the room and into my room, where Rowan was. I walked up to him and hugged him. He hugged me back, kissing my forehead briefly. I looked up into his eyes and kissed his lips, instead. I needed some passion at the moment.

About five minutes later, after Rowan had moved his lips to my throat, a soft knock sounded on the door. We sighed, parting and I went to open the door. In the doorway, holding the young kangaroo – which was suckling on Krystal's bottle – was Carlisle.

"Was I interrupting anything?" he asked, looking from me to Rowan and back to me, obviously already knowing the answer.

"No, it's alright. You got the joey from Alice, then?" I asked him, taking the joey and the bottle from him gently.

"Does it look like I didn't? Do you really think Alice would leave a creature as vulnerable as this joey alone?" he asked me, a hint of sarcasm obvious in his voice.

"No, you've got a point there." I said, laughing. "Even if it is on the top of your head…" I muttered under my breath, hoping he wouldn't hear, even though I knew he would.

"You know I heard that, Kristen." He laughed.

"Damn, I was hoping you wouldn't." I added, still laughing as the three of us watched the joey drink the milk.

"We probably should name it, you know." Rowan commented after a while. Carlisle and I both looked up at him.

"You're right there, Rowan. But we'd probably better find out the gender before we name it." I said, walking over to the double bed that Rowan and I shared. I sat down and gently lay the joey on its back. I realised then that the joey was male. I smiled as I stood up and walked back towards Carlisle and Rowan.

"It's a boy." I said, still smiling.

"Now to think of a name…" Rowan said softly, obviously thinking hard.

"Don't think too hard Rowan, or your brain will explode!" I told him and he looked at me, horrified. Carlisle and I both burst out laughing.

"It won't, really – although your expression was priceless." Carlisle chuckled. We heard a soft growl leave Rowan's throat and I sighed.

"Sorry Rowan, but I just couldn't resist saying that. And your expression really _was_ funny." I explained and he smiled to show that his growl was playful.

"Don't worry about it." He said.

"Now, to name him…" I muttered softly.

"How about we call him Freddie?" Rowan suggested, obviously saying the first name that came into his head.

"Now I think about it, Freddie is a good name for him." I said and Carlisle smiled.

"I agree. Just hide this from Esme, that's my only condition of keeping him." He said and Rowan and I smiled down at little Freddie.

"We won't tell Esme." We chorused.

"And reading your thoughts of what she would do if she found out just made me want to hide him from her even more." Rowan added, laughing. Carlisle nodded slowly, his eyebrow raised.

_**AN:**__ By the way, don't ask why they adopted a baby kangaroo. I just couldn't resist giving the family their own menagerie of pets…to turn their house into a zoo. I guess their main goal now is to keep the dogs away from the joey to avoid him becoming dinner._


	35. Chapter 34: Talents Galore

_**AN:**__ Sorry it's taken me so long to update guys, but no longer having a working computer at home makes it very difficult to write and publish FF stories. And please don't ask me how the content of this chapter, I just felt like putting it in. I was in a very weird mood. Anyway, I've babbled on for long enough now, so please enjoy._

_Chapter 34: Talents galore_

Three days later, Joshua regained consciousness, looking around him curiously. We'd sent Richard and Paul out of the room so there were no accidents, considering how tempting Richard's blood was to us.

"Where am I?" Joshua asked us in a small voice. Elizabeth sighed and sat next to him on the bed.

"You're in your room. Its okay now, Jasper won't hurt you." She soothed him and he nodded slowly.

"Why does my throat hurt?" he asked her.

"You're thirsty. Come with me and we'll go hunt." She replied, taking his hand and leading him out of the house. At that point in time, a squeal filled the air and Carlisle, Rowan and I instantly responded by running out of the room and into my room, where Freddie lived. Inside, a horrible scene met our eyes. Inside the room, Jumpy was sitting on the floor, Freddie's blood spilled right across the room, the young kangaroo lying on the floor, a gaping wound in his throat. I ran forward to the joey's corpse, lifting him into my arms, my eyes stinging with tears that would never come. I gave several dry sobs while Carlisle got the dog out of the room. Rowan pulled me into a hug, kissing my forehead briefly while I cried without tears.

"Kristen?" a male voice asked timidly and I looked up to see who had spoken. Matthew was kneeling next to me, looking confused but sympathetic.

"I'm alright. I'd just grown to love this joey that I'd looked after when I accidentally killed his mother. And having him suddenly killed really hurts." I said, my voice – and my heart – breaking as I remembered Freddie's big, soft, brown eyes and loving nature.

Matthew sighed, closing his eyes. Without warning, however, we heard a heart begin to beat, and little Freddie's wound began bleeding again. I looked down at the baby kangaroo and saw him open his eyes. I laughed with relief as I pressed on his wound, carrying him to Carlisle's office.

"Carlisle!" I called out and he appeared, looking shocked as he took in Freddie's breathing form.

"What on earth!?" he exclaimed, inviting me into his office and asking me to lay the joey on his desk.

"I have no idea. Matthew appeared in the room, asking me what was wrong. I explained the whole 'love affair' with Freddie to him and he closed his eyes, and next thing I knew, Freddie came back to life. It's almost as if the impossible suddenly became possible." I explained as Carlisle stitched up Freddie's wound. I saw his lips turn up in a slight smile as he worked.

"Interesting. We'll have to talk to Matthew, then." He said softly.

"We will. Where's Jumpy, by the way?" I asked him, suddenly remembering Jumpy had been taken from the room by Carlisle.

"Alice has him at the moment. She's taken all three hunting." He replied, lifting Freddie off the desk and handing him to me. "You'd better lock him in your room so no accidents happen. And while you're at it, would you mind getting the family together? We're going to need to have a meeting." He asked and I nodded.

"Sure." I replied simply, walking out of his office and upstairs into my room, placing Freddie into his bed to recover.

"What the hell happened, Kristen? One second Freddie was lying dead in your arms, and then next second, he was suddenly alive!" Rowan asked me, kneeling next to the youngster's unconscious form.

"I have no idea what happened, but Carlisle's asked if everyone can go downstairs to the kitchen for a family meeting." I replied. "I suppose he'll get Matthew to explain." I added, and Rowan nodded silently.

"Alright, I've just let everyone know to meet us in the kitchen." He said after a while.

"Thank you. You didn't tell Carlisle by accident, did you?" I asked him and he laughed.

"No, I was careful who I sent the thought to." He replied, still laughing. We walked out of the room, just as Rowan stopped in the doorway.

"Wait Kristen. Carlisle just had a thought. Bring Freddie. He said to me that we'd better let the family know of its existence." He said to me and I nodded, running back into the room and lifting the baby, which was just coming to, into my arms. I carried him back to Rowan and together we walked, hand in hand, down both flights of stairs to the kitchen located on the ground floor.

The rest of the vampires in the family were sitting around the large glass dining table when we entered. We took our seats in silence, waiting for Carlisle to speak.

"Alright, thank you all for coming for the meeting. Now there are a few things that I need to address. Firstly, to Joshua, welcome to the family. As I'm sure your sister would've explained to you when she took you for your first hunt, we don't attack humans in this family." Carlisle explained to young Joshua, who just nodded silently, nervousness obvious in his bright red eyes. "Speaking of his first hunt, how did he go, Elizabeth?" Carlisle added to Elizabeth.

"He did very well." She replied, her hand on her brother's shoulder to calm him.

"Okay. Now the second thing is that it had recently come to my attention that Matthew has a rather unusual ability. Apparently he has the ability to 'resurrect' the dead. Did you know that you had this ability, Matthew?" he asked Matthew, who shook his head.

"No; I'd revived that joey without knowing I could." he replied, looking briefly at me sitting next to him with the joey in my lap.

"Just a second, Carlisle. What joey are you talking about, Matthew?" Esme asked Matthew softly, confused.

"I'll let Kristen explain that." He told her softly. I sighed deeply.

"A few days ago, after Carlisle and I had checked that Joshua was alright, we went hunting, and I killed a kangaroo without realising that I'd killed a female, and she had a joey in her pouch. I got Carlisle, Alice and Rowan onto the scene and together we decided to keep it. Shortly afterwards, we discovered the joey was male, so we called it Freddie." I explained, cutting the rather long story short. Esme looked at Carlisle sternly.

"Why didn't any of you tell me we had a joey living in the house?" she asked.

"We weren't sure how you'd react. And we wanted to make sure the joey had a surviving chance before we told you." Rowan answered her quickly to spare Carlisle having to explain and end up upsetting her. Esme's face softened at his words and I could see Carlisle shoot Rowan a thankful glance behind her back.

"Alright. So do you know how old the joey is?" she asked us suddenly, looking at Freddie's sleeping form lying in my arms, which were now resting on the table so everyone was able to see the tiny creature.

"No, although when I found him, he was still latched to his mother's teat, so he was obviously no older than a few months. And considering his size, he's probably only about a month or two old." I said, and I couldn't help but smile as I looked at little Freddie.

"Back to business," Carlisle interrupted with a slight smile. We all looked back at him. "Does anyone else have any hidden 'talents' that we should know about?" he asked, looking particularly at the newborns.

"I realised not long ago that I'm able to see into peoples' pasts' as far back as their birth." Elizabeth said softly. Carlisle looked surprised.

"That's almost the complete opposite of mine." Alice said, not looking surprised. I guessed she'd already seen Elizabeth say that.

"An interesting ability." Carlisle muttered, even though he knew we'd all be able to hear him. "Anyone else?" he asked, but all the remaining newborns shrugged their shoulders. He sighed.

"Carlisle, why don't we go out into the forest to see if there are any other talents?" Esme suggested and Carlisle thought it through for a moment.

"Good idea Esme." He said. "I'd like everyone to go to the clearing west of the house. Kristen, please return Freddie to his bed and lock the door." He added to me and I nodded, standing up and walking upstairs to my room. I placed Freddie in his bed and gave him the bottle filled with another female kangaroo's milk, which he latched his mouth onto eagerly. With that, I stood up and walked out of the room, locking the door after me.

Arriving at the clearing a minute later, I saw the remainder of the family standing in the clearing waiting for me.

"Alright, now would you mind bringing us a rabbit, Kristen? I would like Matthew to demonstrate his ability before we get caught up in other abilities." Carlisle said to me and I nodded gravely. I didn't like the idea of killing an animal if it wasn't meant for food. I willed a grey-brown coloured rabbit into my arms and, sighing deeply, I snapped its neck. It fell limp in my arms, its heart no longer beating and I handed it silently to Matthew. Closing his eyes, Matthew held the rabbit at arm's length. We all held our breaths, wondering if we were mistaken about Matthew's ability.

All of a sudden, however, the rabbit's heart started up again and it opened its eyes, struggling to get out of Matthew's grip. He handed it to me and I felt its neck to make sure there was no longer a break, before letting it go. It disappeared into the forest rapidly.

"Thank you Matthew." Carlisle said while the remainder of the family, excluding Rowan and I, were looking at him in wonder. "Okay, who's next?" he asked, interrupting everyone's thoughts. Elizabeth began laughing at this point, and we looked around for her, and found her with her hand actually _inside_ a tree.

"What on Earth, Bethy?" I asked her and she just laughed harder, removing her hand from the tree and falling to the ground with laughter. We all stood back, and allowed her to calm down in her own time.

After five minutes of non-stop laughter, Elizabeth finally calmed down and got to her feet.

"Okay, now that you've calmed yourself down, how could you have your hand in a tree, without harming the tree in any way?" Carlisle asked, obviously confused.

"Apparently I can change my macular density." She replied simply. "Hey Emmett – throw a punch at me. Your hardest punch." She challenged Emmett and we all looked around at the subject of her statement to see his reaction. Emmett was just grinning as he clenched and unclenched his right fist. He took slow, deliberate steps towards Elizabeth and we all held our breaths. Esme had her hand on Joshua's shoulder to stop him leaping forward to defend his sister.

As soon as Emmett reached Elizabeth, he drew his fist back and punched her shoulder as hard as he could.

"Aaargh! My hand! What the f--- did you do to my hand, Max?" he yelled at the top of his lungs, clutching his right wrist with his left hand. Carlisle and I ran forward to see the damage done.

"Okay Emmett, let's have a look at the damage done." I said, taking his hand into mine and pressing on some points. "Oh my god…he has a broken hand." I whispered and in my peripheral vision, I saw Carlisle's eyebrows come together in an expression of confusion.

"But how?" he murmured, looking sincerely at Emmett's broken hand.

"Hold on…" I said in an undertone, pressing on different points of Emmett's hand and realising that the bones were no longer broken. "His hand's healed." I said, a note of slight surprise evident in my voice.

"Um guys…Helen's coming here. She's in Australia, and she's not alone. She has a group of fifteen vengeful vampires with her." Alice said, her golden eyes blank as she saw the vision of the future. We all stopped and turned to her in horror.

"What do they want?" Carlisle asked and Edward and Rowan's eyes widened as they looked at Esme. Carlisle obviously also saw the direction of their gaze, because he instantly ran to his wife's side.

"Esme." Alice replied shortly.

"Why would they want her? What would they want with my wife?" Carlisle asked, his voice hard and tight.

"I'm sorry Carlisle, I can't see that. They haven't decided what they're going to do with her, but they know that if they target her, they won't only hurt you, but also the rest of us, too."


	36. Chapter 35: Kidnapped

_Chapter 35: Kidnapped_

Everyone's expression was horrified as we all took in Alice's words.

"Alright, in order to prevent this happening, we'll need to fight back." Carlisle said, his voice still tight.

"Carlisle, the newborns still don't know how to fight, because we haven't needed to fight anyone off. We'll have to teach them." I reminded him, realising that in his worry he may have forgotten that fact.

"Okay, thank you Kristen. Those who don't know how to fight, please stand on my left and those who do, please stand on my right so I can see how many we need to teach." He said and Rowan and I joined Esme, Emmett, Rosalie, Alice, Jasper, Edward and Bella on his right side. Those that remained on his left included Matthew, Kat, Anouk, Jacinta, Elizabeth and Joshua. Carlisle looked around at everyone and sighed.

"Esme, do you mind looking after the children while we're fighting off these vampires? That way we'll be able to protect you." He asked her and she smiled slightly at him, nodding.

"But I'm staying to help teach the newborns." She told him and he nodded.

"That's fine." He said to her softly, before looking up at Alice. "How long do we have?" he asked her.

"Two days." She replied almost instantly, her face grim.

"Alright, we need to work fast. Those who don't know how to fight, what I'm going to do first is give a demonstration. Kristen, if you please." He said and I stepped forward, towards him. The newborns all sat down to watch.

"Watch their actions carefully." Rowan told them and they nodded, Joshua moving closer to his sister, watching Carlisle and myself.

Carlisle and I started circling around the clearing, neither moving any closer to the other nor breaking eye contact. Without warning, Carlisle leapt forward, but I held him off with my telekinetic ability, using it to throw him across the clearing. He landed on his feet and ran at me with blinding speed, but again I was too quick and I leapt to the side, causing him to have to veer slightly to avoid running into a tree. This time it was my turn to leap at him, but he leapt into a tree, causing me to run headlong into the same tree. The tree collapsed underneath my combined weight and speed, and I leapt to my feet, laughing as Carlisle landed a few metres away, having to jump back out of the tree to avoid it falling on him. Carlisle leapt at me again and I dodged him, but grabbing his arm as I ran to the side. I threw him to the ground a metre away and ran over, holding my teeth an inch away from his throat.

After a second, I moved back so he could get to his feet. We walked back towards the group, laughing, and Rowan ran up to greet us.

"Alright, now I'm going to pair you off with someone who knows how to fight, so you can learn from them. Just remember that with fighting, the method that we use is speed before strength." Carlisle said to the newborns, who all stood up, looking nervous. "Kristen, could you please pair up with Kat?" he asked me and I smiled, nodding.

"Sure." I replied as Kat walked towards me.

"Rowan, I'd like you to pair up with Matthew," Carlisle told Rowan and he nodded. "Esme with Jacinta; Alice with Anouk; Rosalie with Joshua – and Rosalie, please be nice to him. He is still unsure about whether he can trust us." Carlisle asked Rosalie and she smiled.

"I promise, Carlisle." She said and he nodded once.

"Thank you. Jasper, could you please pair up with Elizabeth. The rest of us will watch. And Elizabeth, please don't break Jasper's hand the way you did with Emmett." Carlisle said to Elizabeth, who laughed.

"I won't." she assured him and he chuckled as we all walked to different parts of the clearing.

Kat and I walked to one part of the clearing, and I took a deep breath.

"Alright Kat. With fighting, every vampire has a different method, but most use the same technique. You'll have to discover your method of taking down the enemy. I would like you to imagine that I'm your enemy, and you're the only one who can stop me. If you imagine that, you shouldn't have too much trouble." I told her and she nodded. We walked away from each other until we were a few metres away, then turned back to face each other. "Are you ready, Kat?" I asked her and she smiled, nodding once. I leapt at her and she dodged to the side, standing in a crouched position, ready for my next attack. I ran around her and leapt at her for the second time, but again she dodged my attack. She ran to me and I dodged her, but she caught me and threw me to the ground, holding her teeth at my throat.

"I win." She said as she stood back. I got to my feet, grinning.

"Well done Kat. You're a natural. Although you were almost cat-like in your fighting ability. I wonder if you have an ability that makes you almost cat-like when you hunt or fight." I wondered aloud.

"Maybe. I don't know." She replied.

"Let's try again. This time, though, you'll be on the offensive." I suggested and she nodded as we walked away from each other again before turning to face each other. She leapt at me and I dodged to the side, but she quickly leapt at me again. She was definitely cat-like in her fighting. I held her away with my telekinesis, throwing her into a tree, before leaping into the branches of another tree. As she ran underneath my tree, I jumped down onto her shoulders, pinning her to the ground, but she threw me off into a tree and pinned me there, with her teeth at my throat.

"I win again." She laughed and I joined in as we walked back towards the waiting spectators.

"You're definitely a natural, Kat. And definitely cat-like in your ability." I said as we joined Carlisle, Edward, Bella and Emmett. Alice and Anouk joined us shortly later, both laughing.

Eventually, the whole family was together again and Carlisle smiled as he looked around at all of us.

"Well done, all of you. Now that you've learned how to fight, we'll practise where all the newborns, Kristen and Rowan practise fighting as a group against myself, Esme, Emmett, Rosalie, Edward, Bella, Jasper and Alice. This is how it will be when Helen and her party arrive, so we'll need to practise." He told us all and we nodded, Rowan and I walking to join the newborns. "And if you all use any physical abilities you may have, such as telekinesis and so on, it will definitely come in handy. Hopefully no one is killed. If so, we'll have to test Matthew's ability on vampires." He added as we stood up, walking to the opposite ends of the clearing.

"Ready guys?" I asked the vampires around me and they nodded nervously. "Remember, work together as a team. Because you're newborns, you're a fair bit stronger and faster than the others, which will give us an advantage." I told them and they nodded, looking a little more confident.

Carlisle and his group leapt at us and we dodged quickly, running around behind them, standing once again in a group.

"Rowan, you take half of this group around to their right, and I'll take the other half around to their left. Go!" I muttered and Rowan took his half of our group and they ran around to the left of our opponents, while I ran with my half to the left. We closed in on them, circling them before they could even register what had happened.

"Alright, don't lose your cool. We're not at a disadvantage yet guys." Carlisle said to his group and soon, they'd leapt again at us. We fought back, and pretty soon, several of Carlisle's group had been eliminated, while some of my group had also been eliminated. Those that remained on my side included me, Rowan, Kat, Joshua, Jacinta and Matthew. Those that remained on the other side included Carlisle, Esme, Jasper and Alice. Carlisle's group were definitely now at a disadvantage.

Before we could even make another move, however, Alice gasped.

"Stop guys!" she called out and we all ran to her, looking worried.

"What is it, Alice?" Carlisle asked her, his voice tight again as he guessed it was to do with his wife.

"They'll be here in only about a minute. We need to get Esme inside and the dogs out here." Alice replied and everyone's breath caught in their throat.

"Esme and I will go to the house and I'll get the dogs. That way if they arrive before we can get to the house, I can help Esme fight them off." I suggested and they agreed hesitantly.

"Alright, but both of you be careful." Carlisle said softly.

"We will." I replied as Esme and I ran at top speed back to the house.

Arriving at the house, I collected the dogs and told Esme to be careful, before running back to the clearing. I arrived at the clearing and stood next to Rowan, just as a large group of vampires stepped out of the trees at the opposite end of the clearing to us. The female vampire at the front was definitely Helen, as the black hair and burgundy coloured eyes were obviously hers. I could see all the newborns glance briefly at each other with obvious nervousness. The dogs growled, and the light patter on leaves told us rain was approaching. Other than that, and the sound of our breathing, no other sound could be heard. There were no bird songs, no patter of the feet of small animals, and no hearts beating in the vicinity. It was absolutely silent. Helen and her group took a few steps forward, Helen in front of her army at all times, giving off the obvious vibes of a leader. Carlisle took one step forward so that he was in front of us, his eyes never leaving Helen's face. Helen glanced around at us and sneered.

"Carlisle." She said simply in false politeness.

"Helen." Carlisle replied simply, his voice still slightly tight.

"Where's your wife, Carlisle? I don't see her among your coven." Helen asked, the sneer evident in her voice.

"Where she is, is none of your business. She is to be left out of this." Carlisle said firmly, his voice no longer tight. His worry for Esme's safety had visibly been replaced with anger. It was very rare to see Carlisle angry.

I looked around at Helen's army and it hit me. They were all newborns, save for one or two, who probably hadn't been vampires for longer than a year or so. This worried me. Not only were there more of them, but most of them were also newborns. We were in trouble. Big trouble.

The rain reached us, soaking us through quickly. But Helen and Carlisle were still glaring at each other from opposite ends of the clearing. No one moved for a long time; the dogs' growling had stopped temporarily, and even they were as still as statues. The only part of the dogs that was moving was their noses, which were twitching to catch any scents.

Helen obviously realised what had just hit me, as she smirked.

"Well, Carlisle, as it's obvious that you're in trouble." She said and Carlisle's eyes narrowed. "Not only are you outnumbered, but there are also more newborns on my side than there are on yours."

"That may be, Helen, but you only rely on brute strength. We, however, have compassion, which is one thing you could never comprehend." Rowan spat and everyone turned to look at him.

"_What are you doing, Rowan? Are you trying to get us killed?"_ I thought, directing the thought to him.

"Well, Rowan. How nice it is to see you again." Helen replied in false pleasantness.

"I can't return that Helen. You betrayed all of us, and hurt my daughter – your own daughter." He snarled and I saw one of the vampires in Helen's army turn to look from Helen to Rowan, his expression shocked. All of a sudden, he took a step away from his group, towards us. Everyone tensed, leaning forward in defensive crouches, but he didn't do the same. Instead, he stopped halfway across the clearing, holding up his hands, palm forward, to show submission.

"I don't mean any of you any harm. I'm simply curious. Your compassion and ideals intrigue me." He said softly, taking one step backwards to emphasise his words. We straightened up slowly, not taking our eyes off him or the vampires behind him. We were still tense.

"Sero, get back here, you idiot! What are you doing, trying to make friends with them!? They're our enemies, and they need to be disposed of. Especially if they're not going to cooperate and tell us where the female is." Helen hissed at him, but he simply shook his head.

"You're wrong, Helen. They have as much right as anyone to be spared. Besides, they have compassion, which is one thing that keeps them together." He told her, not turning to face her.

"If that's your final decision, then I'll have no choice but to kill you along with them." She replied with obvious hostility. With that, she and her army leapt forward, and the vampire called Sero reacted instantly, spinning around and tearing the head of one female vampire right off her shoulders.

"I'll start the fire." Rowan whispered in my ear, knowing the entire family would hear. He ran off and I let the dogs off their leashes and they ran forward, leaping at opposing vampires as the rest of us joined the fray.

I tore a vampire's arm off, throwing it into the fire that Rowan had built, before throwing the vampire into the flames after his arm.

We were seriously outnumbered, even with Sero changing sides, and we were being forced backwards, into the forest and towards the house, and we knew this was dangerous, as Esme's scent would soon become apparent and they'd know she was in the house. It was now inevitable that we'd come across Esme's scent, even with the rain that had passed through here before reaching us in the clearing.

My guess was correct, and our opponents sniffed the air, and ran in the direction of home.

"Kat, come with me!" I told Kat and she and I ran quicklyto the house, finding Esme sitting in the living room, playing with the children. Edward ran in after us, lifting Renesmee up into his arms.

"Esme, you have to get out of here. They found your scent and are just about here. Carlisle and the others are outside, trying to hold them off for as long as they can, but there are too many of them for us to last long. I need you to take the children and run as far as possible from here to avoid them getting to you. I fear there will be casualties, but Carlisle said that you were not to be one of them, and it was not up for discussion." He explained in a rushed voice and Esme nodded, lifting Krystal and Devlin into her arms and running out the front door of the house.

As soon as the front door closed after her, Helen and her army burst in through the back door, looked around once and ran upstairs. Carlisle and the remainder of the family walked in through the same door, Sero standing nervously at the back.

"Esme's gone, then?" he asked in barely a whisper. I nodded and he relaxed slightly. "Alright, we need to leave. Sero, you've shown yourself to be an honourable and trustworthy vampire, so you may join us if you wish." He said in a slightly louder voice and Sero smiled and nodded.

"Thank you." He said and Carlisle nodded, leading us at a sprint out through the front door, following Esme's faint scent. Amongst all the other scents in the area, it was very difficult to pick out hers, but we found her after ten minutes of running in a small sheltered grove with the children in her arms. She looked up as we approached, smiling. She handed the two ¾-vampire children to Rowan and I, before walking up to Carlisle.

"Are you alright Carlisle?" she asked him softly. He smiled, hugging her.

"I'm alright, but I'm afraid this isn't over yet. They're probably following our scents here now. We have to move." He said and she nodded.

"Carlisle, I have an idea. How about we all run in different directions, and I'll run in the direction of the Victoria-New South Wales border, before I will Esme to my location. This will take a fair bit of communication between all of us, but it means that when they look for Esme, they'll find that her scent will end where she last was before I willed her. I'll then direct my thoughts to Rowan, who will inform you all of my position. That way, Helen's army will be at a disadvantage because they won't know which direction to go, if they're planning on killing us all." I explained and Alice nodded.

"It's a good plan, and it'll also work. It'll set them off our path for a while, enabling us to run possibly in the direction of southern New South Wales. It will work, Carlisle." She said and Carlisle nodded.

"I agree with it, except I think at least one of us should stay with Esme, for safety reasons. Because she is their main target, if one of us stays with her, she'll be less likely to be hurt." He said and I nodded.

"Alright. Who'll volunteer to go with Esme?" I asked the family.

"That'll be me." Came a voice as Helen's army burst out from the trees and grabbed Esme, dragging her away.

"That was a good plan, Kristen. Too bad it won't work without her." Helen laughed as she and her army ran from sight with Esme, who was screaming.

"ESME! Esme, no!" Carlisle bellowed as he ran after them, all of us on his tail. We followed the scent to the Victoria-South Australia border, before the scent disappeared. Carlisle fell to his knees, his face buried in his hands in despair. Alice looked meaningfully at Jasper, who sighed, and a wave of calm washed over the entire family. Carlisle was breathing deeply in an attempt to calm himself. I sighed, feeling as though a knife had been plunged into my own heart. Helen's deduction was correct; Esme's kidnapping hurt us all.

Walking towards Carlisle, I knelt next to him, placing my hand gently on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry Carlisle. I truly am. I promise that we'll go look for her, but we need to get home. The children are getting hungry." I said softly to him and he looked at me briefly, nodding once before standing up and beginning to walk back towards the house.

"Kristen?" came Rowan's voice as the owner came running towards me, Krystal and Devlin in his arms. I took Krystal into my arms and sighed.

"You know Rowan, Carlisle's reaction to Esme's kidnapping was exactly how I reacted when you were taken." I whispered to him as the entire family began walking in the direction of home. I looked at Carlisle's back and sighed. He just looked so hurt that it was painful even for me to watch him. Rowan saw where I was looking and his eyes met mine.

"You're not involved with him, are you Kristen?" he asked me softly, suspicion evident in his eyes.

"Rowan, I don't even see him in that way. At most, he and I are friends. And if we were involved, I would tell you. Trust me, I wouldn't betray your trust." I told him and he nodded, placing his free arm around my shoulders. I smiled slightly, the pain in my heart easing at his touch.

It wasn't long before everyone, including Carlisle, broke into a sprint home, arriving about ten minutes later.

Inside the house, Carlisle placed a hand on my shoulder, mouthed "thank you" before he disappeared to his room.


	37. Chapter 36: Plans for a Search

_Chapter 36: Plans for a Search_

Carlisle spent three days in his room, not reappearing once throughout. On the third day, as I was just making a meal for the children, he walked into the kitchen. Rowan was standing in the corner, watching me prepare the food as he entered.

"Kristen?" he said and I turned to face him.

"Are you alright?" I asked him.

"I'll only be truly alright when we find her. What I wanted to say was thank you for what you did three days ago." He said to me softly.

"Your welcome, Carlisle. I know what you're going through. I felt the same way when Rowan disappeared. We will find her." I replied, just as Alice walked in. Carlisle turned to her.

"Alice I need you ask you if you see anything regarding Esme." He said to her and she smiled slightly.

"I can't see whether or not she's still alive, but I can see that she's somewhere in Western Australia. That's all I can see. I'm sorry I can't be of more help, Carlisle." She replied and he smiled slightly at her.

"That's alright Alice. Thank you." He said and she nodded once, before disappearing out the back door and into the forest.

"So…how do we get to Western Australia?" Rowan asked as I walked out of the spacious kitchen and placed the food in front of the three children.

"The quickest way would be to fly there." I said, walking back into the kitchen and standing next to Rowan, facing Carlisle.

"No. we don't yet know where she is in WA, so we'll run. Sero might know where they're keeping her, so we'll bring him with us, but we won't be able to bring everyone." Carlisle said and I nodded. "Rowan, could you please gather the family?" he added to Rowan, who nodded. Within seconds, everyone was gathered in the living room.

"Alright, I've decided that we're going to go look for Esme. However, Alice saw that she's being held in Western Australia. We don't yet know where in WA she is, so we're going to run. We won't be able to take everyone, but Sero, I've decided that you'll come, in case Helen confided in you about where she was planning on keeping Esme and whether or not she was going to kill her." Carlisle explained, visibly flinching on the word 'kill'. "Kristen and Rowan, could you two also please accompany me. Alice, I'd like you to join us, along with Jasper. Could I also ask Matthew and Elizabeth to also come along? And could those who are coming please bring the dogs. They may come in handy." He said and we nodded. "And those who are staying behind, could you please look after the children. We may be a few weeks to a couple of months, if we're lucky. Otherwise it may take a lot longer." He told those who were staying behind, before walking out to the forest.

Alice appeared with the dogs shortly afterwards and together we all ran towards the Victoria-South Australia border.


	38. Chapter 37: The Search Begins

_**AN:**__ Just so you non-Australians know, whenever I mention SA, I'm talking about South Australia, and when I mention WA, I'm talking about Western Australia. If you're already aware of this, then please disregard this author's note._

_Chapter 37: The Search Begins_

We reached the Victoria-SA border after about two hours of running, stopping there to allow the dogs to hunt. Having followed the main highway from home to here, we had to move back from the road and stand in the trees while we waited for Alice and the dogs to return.

"Are you okay Kristen?" Rowan asked me, placing his arm around my shoulders.

"I'm fine; I'm just hoping that we can reach her in time. Because what if they do plan on killing her? If you look at Carlisle now, then multiply how he's obviously feeling now by a hundred, you'd get close to his reaction if she did die. I hope, not only for his sake, but also everyone else's, that we're able to find her alive." I explained, sighing as I lay my head gently on Rowan's shoulder. "I love you." I murmured to him in barely a whisper and he smiled.

"Love you too." He whispered back, kissing my head briefly.

At that point, Alice arrived back, and we all stood up and began walking over the border and into SA.

"Carlisle, I didn't get to ask you this before, but why is it you all have golden eyes? I thought vampires' eyes were usually red." Sero asked Carlisle, looking confused.

"We have golden eyes because we only hunt animals. We don't hunt humans, and I would suggest you do the same. It will take some getting used to, but it's possible." Carlisle replied and Sero nodded slowly.

"Alright. I'll try to keep to the animals, but what if I accidentally let slip?" he asked.

"If you _accidentally_ let slip, that's fine, but if it's intentional, then it's going to be a bit hard to forgive." Carlisle replied, putting an emphasis on 'accidentally'. Sero nodded in agreement.

"Okay, I'll try." He said as we walked.

Eventually, we all broke into a run, making it through SA within five hours. Arriving at the SA-WA border, we stopped and looked at Carlisle, awaiting instructions.

"Let's sit down guys. We need to talk about what to do next." He told us and we sat in a circle behind some shrubs lining the road. "Alright Sero, I need to ask you if you know whether Helen had confided in you as to where they're keeping my wife." He asked Sero seriously and the subject of his question thought hard.

"I'm sorry Carlisle, she never told us. I suppose she was expecting us to ditch her eventually." Sero replied apologetically.

"Thank you Sero. Alice, do you see anything?" Carlisle asked Alice.

"I can't see exactly where she is, but I can see a desert-type landscape, with a small mountain cave. There is very little life in the area, except for one lone eucalyptus tree to the right of cave's mouth and a whole lot of dead grass. I'm sorry, that's all I can see." She said.

"That's alright, Alice. That'll be where they're taking her." Carlisle said, his lips curving into a small smile.

"The fact that it's desert means that it would be somewhere away from the coast. Probably somewhere north of here, or even slightly northeast of here." I pondered aloud and suddenly Elizabeth perked up.

"Hold on, if I can see their past, I'm able to see the path they took." She said, smiling. Carlisle slapped his forehead.

"That's right!" he exclaimed. "Elizabeth, are you able to lead us along their path?" he asked her and she nodded. "Alright guys, let's go." He added to us and we nodded, following Elizabeth at a run, before I realised that Jumpy wasn't with us.


	39. Chapter 38: Jumpy's Mistake

_Chapter 38: Jumpy's Mistake_

"Hey guys, where's Jumpy?" I asked and everyone stopped, looking around.

"We should run back and see where he is." Rowan suggested and we retraced our steps back to central SA, where we could smell his faint scent leading away from where we stood.

"You guys wait here; I'll go see where he is." I said, walking away from the family, following Jumpy's scent exactly.

I walked for about five minutes, before I saw him standing back-to-back with a mortal female dog.

"Oh crap." I muttered, walking towards them. The female's hind led was raised slightly and I instantly knew they were mating. I decided that if I separated them, I'd injure the female, so I sat down and waited for them to part.

When eventually they did part, Jumpy ran over to me and I patted him once on the head. I stood up and approached the female. She was looking nervously at me, and she wasn't wearing a collar, nor did she look like a dog that has an owner. Her fur, though short, was ragged in appearance, and her stance showed that she was a stray.

I sighed, knowing that she could be pregnant with Jumpy's puppies. I sighed, lifting her into my arms.

"Come on Jumpy." I said and Jumpy and I ran back to the waiting vampires.

"What the–" Carlisle asked me as I placed the female dog on the ground and stroked her head gently to calm her.

"When I found Jumpy, he was mating. This is his mate, and she could well be pregnant as a result. We should probably keep her and monitor her, because if she is pregnant, she'll be killed while giving birth. And then the puppies would end up out of control." I explained and Carlisle took a deep breath to calm himself.

"Alright, you're right Kristen. We'll bring her along, but that means that we'll need to buy some dog food for her, and it'll slow us down considerably with how often she'll need food." He said and I nodded.

"I know, but I'm willing to stay behind to feed her. I can catch up with you when she's eaten. And dogs only really need food twice a day if they're pregnant." I said.

"Yes, but if she is pregnant, she'll also need blood to replace the blood her puppies take from her. It'll be a Bella situation all over again." He replied.

"I can do that, too." I told him and he sighed, nodding.

"Alright, but you'll have to carry her while we run." He told me and I nodded.

"I will." I replied. With that, we began following Elizabeth at a run with the new dog in my arms.

"What are you going to call her, Kristen?" Rowan asked me while we ran, and I smiled.

"I think we should call her Hera." I replied and my boyfriend smiled.

"Your call, because she's your dog." He laughed, just as we passed close to a town.

"Alright guys, we'll stop here so that Kristen can buy some food for the dog." Carlisle said and we stopped.

"Alright. I'll take her with me, just in case one of the others decide she'll be a good snack." I said and they nodded. "Come on Hera." I said and the female dog looked up at me nervously, her short-ish tail wagging slowly. Her usually pointed ears were held flat against her head with fear. I knelt down so that she would know I meant no harm.

It took Hera a while to realise that I wasn't going to hurt her, but eventually she trotted up to me, her tail wagging madly and her ears pricked again.

"Good girl." I praised her, patting her gently and standing up. I led her into the town and towards the nearest shopping centre, before realising that someone would need to stay outside with her while I bought the food for her.

Before I could do anything, Rowan appeared next to me, grinning widely.

"Did you want me to look after her while you buy her food?" he asked me and I smiled.

"Yes, thank you Rowan. I won't be long, but I might also buy a backpack to hold the food." I said and he hugged me briefly. As soon as he released me, I walked into the supermarket. This supermarket was having a 'Back to School Sale' and I realised that it was January 24th. I smiled as I walked down the aisles to find a backpack, finding a shelf of them down the third aisle I walked down. I took the least childish-looking bag and walked toward the pet food aisle. Down this aisle, I found a 1 kilogram bag of dry dog food, along with some collars and leashes. I grabbed a light coloured fabric collar, as well as a leash of a similar colour to the collar. I then picked up a bowl and took these items to the checkout, paid for them and headed out of the store. I walked quickly to Rowan, smiling to him as I took the price tag off the collar and placed it around Hera's neck.

"It suits her." I said as I attached the leash to the collar, before placing the food into the backpack. Zipping up the bag, I took Rowan's hand and together we walked out of the town and back towards the waiting family.

Arriving back at the family, I lifted Hera into my arms as we ran towards the border again.


	40. Chapter 39: Western Australia

_Chapter 39: Western Australia_

We crossed the border into Western Australia shortly afterwards, when Elizabeth stopped running, looking confused.

"What's wrong Elizabeth?" Carlisle asked her as we all stopped next to her.

"I can't see where they've gone from here. They must've known I had this ability, and someone must've been able to block it. I think we've lost them. I'm sorry, but I really can't see anything." She said, looking ashamed. Carlisle stood frozen with shock, so I walked over to her, letting Hera down before I placed my hand on her shoulder.

"You've done what you can. We've already come this far, and from here, we'd probably better look for her ourselves. The search isn't over yet. Not until the fat lady sings." I said and at my last comment, I noticed a smile appear on everyone's faces, and Carlisle unfroze.

"Kristen's right. From here, we're searching on our own. If anyone can get their scent, that'll give us a starting point." He told everyone and we nodded. I lifted Hera once again into my arms and we began running, only to stop again as several scents caught our attention.

"Which scent do we follow?" Rowan asked. "None of them have even a hint of Esme's scent."

"I'm not sure. For safety reasons, we can't split up to follow any one scent. Sero, do you recognise any of these scents?" Carlisle asked Sero.

"Yes, they're all from Helen's coven. And they've spread out in different directions." Sero replied and Carlisle took a deep breath, obviously frustrated. "Although…" he muttered, sniffing the air again. "Helen's scent is missing. It looks like they took a car. So if we look for tyre tracks, we'll find her." His voice rose from a mutter to almost a shout. He was looking triumphant. Carlisle sighed with relief at this.

"Alright, this gives us something to work from. The only problem is the lack of tyre tracks. This means that we need to follow the general direction of the different scents." He said and we all followed the scents at a run.

Night fell as we ran, and I realised that we were passing too close the coast, and a large coastal town. Human scents hit us hard, and I had to hold the new additions to the family back with my telekinetic ability. I threw them into a nearby forest, running after them.

"Go hunt guys. There's no human scent here to distract you." I told them and they nodded, running deeper into the forest. The remainder of the family joined me shortly afterwards.

"Where are they?" Carlisle asked me, looking around.

"I sent them hunting. We'd all better hunt." I replied and he nodded. I watched as they sprinted after the others, and I sat down with Hera. I filled her bowl with food and placed it down in front of her.

Suddenly, while we were waiting for the newborns to return from their hunt, a thought hit me.

"Carlisle?" I asked and Carlisle looked up.

"What is it, Kristen?" he asked me.

"I just thought of something. If there aren't any telekinetics on their side, regardless of which scent we follow, they'll all lead to the same place. We can ask Sero if any of Helen's coven are telekinetics." I said and Carlisle's eyes visibly lightened as he realised what I meant.

"That's very true, Kristen. We'll ask Sero and see what he thinks." He said.

"The only problem is that there may be several scents that take a much longer route, so we need to be careful which scent we follow. They led us to the coast on purpose to throw us off course." Rowan told us and we nodded gravely as the information sunk in.

When Sero and the newborns returned, we indicated that they sit down.

"We'll need to stop and talk for a while about what to do next." Carlisle explained and they nodded, sitting down. Carlisle nodded at me and I took a deep breath. I'd never been very good at public speaking.

"Sero, I need to ask you if you know whether anyone in Helen's coven is telekinetic, because if not, then no matter which scent we follow, they'll all end up at the same place. It'll be different if there is a telekinetic on her side." I explained and Sero looked thoughtful.

"Unless she changed someone since I left them, then no one there is telekinetic. I know because I can tell someone's ability just by looking at them." He said and in my peripheral vision, I saw the corner of Carlisle's mouth turn up in a smile.

"Okay, but you recognised the scents all left by her coven, didn't you?" I asked and he nodded. "Then that means that she hasn't created any new vampires, which is good, because that means that all the scents will eventually lead to the right place. Alice, do you see anything else regarding Esme?" I asked Alice and she smiled, nodding. I saw Carlisle stiffen when he heard my words.

"She's safe at the moment, Carlisle, so you don't need to worry about that. They're not planning to kill her." She told Carlisle who visibly relaxed. "Helen's decided to leave the car and carry her, with another vampire there. So if we find Helen's scent, we should follow that, and we'll be able to find her." Alice told us and we nodded, all of us standing up.

"Alright, let's go." Carlisle said, and we started running after the scents. We pushed ourselves into a flat-out sprint as we found Helen's scent.

After ten minutes of running, we saw a large group of vampires on the horizon. They stood side by side, and their range was too wide for us to run around them. We only had one choice: to run through them. This would mean a fight.

"Their group is too large; we're going to have a fair few casualties. Matthew, whatever you do, do _not_ get yourself killed." Carlisle said and Matthew nodded, smirking.

"Sero, are they members of Helen's coven?" I asked Sero, who nodded gravely.

"And they've seen us. There's no way to avoid this." Rowan said through his teeth.

"Damn. Okay, let's go. Everyone, please be careful." Carlisle said as we ran toward the large group of vampires.

The vampires broke ranks as we ran at them, running around us to come at us from all sides. We crouched down, knowing that if Hera got in the way, she would be killed. We kept her in the middle of the little circle we made with our bodies as we stood back-to-back in a circle, facing our opponents.

The fight lasted over three hours, and in the confusion, no one noticed anyone else missing, but our attackers were newborns, and thus ruled by instinct. As a result, they went down easily.

When the attackers had all been thrown into the fire, we stopped to make sure everyone was with us. I couldn't see Carlisle anywhere, nor could I see Rowan. Other than that, everyone was still alive, looking around.

"Oh no. Has anyone seen Carlisle or Rowan?" I asked tensely, my voice breaking as I mentioned my boyfriend's name. I felt a wave of calm wash over me and I smiled tightly at Jasper as a way of thanking him. "Matthew, can you please try your ability on Carlisle and Rowan?" I asked Matthew, and he nodded sadly.

"Which one should I try it on first?" he asked me.

"I don't know, surprise me." I said to him and he nodded, closing his eyes and thinking hard. A sudden yell surprised me and we all looked towards the fire, to see Rowan struggling to get out. I ran over, grabbing his arm and pulling him out of the flames. We both landed on the ground, Rowan's clothes still on fire, burning him, setting mine on fire.

Before I had a chance to burn, water was splashed over both Rowan and I, and I looked up to see Jasper with Hera's bowl in his hands. I smiled in relief.

"Thank you Jasper. I owe you one." I said, sitting up and checking Rowan over. He seemed fine, just some small burns covering a few parts of his body. It didn't look like they would form scars. Another yell startled me and I ran over to the fire, dragging Carlisle out, where Jasper was waiting to throw water on him too.

"Thank you, both of you." He said and I smiled slightly.

"Are you okay?" I asked him. He nodded once. I sighed in relief. I looked at Rowan, who was once again looking suspicious.

"Kristen? Are you sure there's nothing between you and Carlisle?" he asked me, and I sighed deeply, walking to my boyfriend.

"Rowan, I told you once, and I'll tell you a hundred times, there is _nothing_ going on between Carlisle and I. I was merely concerned for him." I said and he sighed.

"She's right, Rowan. I don't know where you got the idea that I was somehow involved with her, but I'm not." Carlisle told him, his brows pulled together in confusion.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking." He mumbled, embarrassed.

"Don't worry Rowan." I murmured to him, taking his hand in mine.

"Come on guys, we'd better get going. We've lost three hours of searching." Carlisle told us, and we nodded. I lifted Hera into my arms, pleased that she was uninjured, while Jasper placed her bowl back into my bag. I slung the bag over my shoulder as we continued to follow Helen's scent.

As night fell, I decided to stop so I could feed Hera, and to give us a chance to hunt. Carlisle agreed, so we stopped and I placed Hera on the ground and filled her bowl with food. She ate hungrily as Carlisle sent Jasper, Elizabeth, Sero and Matthew to hunt. As the four of them disappeared into the distance, I saw Carlisle sit leaning against a tree, his head resting in his hand. He was obviously being torn up inside, and I knew I could relate. Firstly, that was exactly how I felt when Rowan had been kidnapped. Secondly, Esme was a much-loved member of this family, and her kidnapping had hurt us all. With Jasper having gone to hunt, his calming effects on the family had worn off, and we were all beginning to feel the effects of Esme's absence. I sat down while Hera curled up to sleep and drew my knees to my chest, laying my head on them. I could feel my eyes prickling, but I also knew that I was unable to produce tears. Instead, I sobbed tearless sobs as Rowan walked over and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. He sat next to me, pulling me towards him. I fell against his chest, and he rubbed my back comfortingly in silence.

When the first hunting party returned, Carlisle and I looked up and we indicated to Rowan and Alice to come with us.

"Alice, could you please bring the dogs?" I asked her and she nodded, calling the dogs and we ran towards the nearest forest, which was still a two minute sprint from where we were. Arriving at the forest, I willed a kangaroo into my arms, making sure it was male before I bit into its throat. In my peripheral vision, I saw Carlisle, Rowan and Alice run after their own prey.

When everyone had finished hunting, we ran back to where the others were waiting, and I sat next to Hera's sleeping form, sighing.

"Kristen?" Carlisle's voice sounded from somewhere behind me and I looked up, turning my head to look at him. "We only have enough time to wait for Hera to wake up on her own, alright? When she wakes up, we'll need to get going." He told me and I nodded slowly.

"Okay." I replied softly, my voice reflecting the pain I felt inside, and I knew he could hear it. He sighed, sitting next to me.

"I know what her absence is doing to you. It's doing the same thing to all of us. We're already doing everything we can to find her." He told me and I nodded slowly.

"Okay, that's almost backwards. She's your wife, and yet you're comforting me. Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?" I asked and he chuckled.

"Everyone's in need of comforting sometimes, so don't worry." He said, placing his hand on my shoulder briefly, before standing up and walking away. I stroked Hera absently, watching her sleep.


	41. Chapter 40: Esme Found

_Chapter 40: Esme Found_

About a week after we left home to search for Esme, we reached the place Alice had seen in her vision. We saw the eucalypt tree on the right side of the mountain cave's entrance and dead grass strewn across the whole scene. The only difference was the ten vampires standing at the entrance.

"Sero, are they Helen's?" Carlisle asked Sero, who looked carefully at each vampire in turn.

"Yeah. But they're her newborns. They're no more than a month old." He replied as we hid from the vampires' sights.

"What we need to do is protect Hera from them. Rowan, how much training have they received?" I asked Rowan, who was silent as he looked into their minds.

"I can't tell. They haven't seen us yet so they're not thinking about it." He replied after a while.

"Elizabeth, are you able to look into their pasts to see how much training they've received?" I asked Elizabeth, who froze, her head cocked to one side.

"They've received some training, but very little." She replied and I smiled. This was where we found Esme and relieved the pain everyone was feeling.

"Rowan, is Esme still alive? Can you hear her thoughts?" Carlisle asked Rowan, who nodded and everyone sighed in relief.

"How should we do this, Carlisle? Should half of us take the left and half take the right, or should we all just go in for a head-on attack?" Jasper asked Carlisle, who looked thoughtful.

"I'll probably say that half of us take the left and half take the right, but one will need to stay behind with Hera to make sure she's not hurt." Carlisle said and Alice smiled.

"I'll look after Hera, so a good idea would probably be that four take one side, with one dog, while the three remaining take the other side with two dogs." She said and we nodded.

"Alright. Kristen, could you take the left with Rowan, Jasper, Sero and Dalmatio? I'll take the right with Elizabeth, Matthew, Reggie and Jumpy." Carlisle said to me and I nodded.

Indicating Rowan, Jasper and Sero to follow, I lifted Dalmatio into my arms and we quickly ran to the other side of the mountain. I could see Carlisle looking at us so the ten vampire guards couldn't see him.

_Rowan, could you please tell him that I'll give him a thumb's up when I'm ready to start the attack._ I thought and Rowan nodded at me. A second later, Carlisle nodded once.

I watched the guards, scrutinising every move they made, waiting for a chance to attack and still take them by surprise.

We all held our breaths as we waited, knowing the guards would hear our breathing. I could hear their breathing, deep and even as they watched their surroundings. Their bright red eyes flickered around them, and I waited until they turned to each other and began talking before I lifted up my thumb and we all sprinted into the clearing, leaping at various guards. The dogs also leapt at the vampires. I could smell smoke nearby and I looked quickly to see that Alice had lit a fire. I dragged the vampire I was fighting towards the fire, tearing chunks of his skin off his body every time he refused. Once he was near the fire, I tore his head off and threw it into the fire, before throwing his struggling body in after it. With that, I ran to assist Rowan with his opponent.

Eventually, we'd thrown all of the vampire guards into the fire, and Carlisle ran into the cave, the rest of us on his heels. Sero was still outside with Hera.

Esme was there, in the back of the cave, with Helen standing next to her. Carlisle snarled at Helen, leaping at her. Esme, seeing Carlisle engaged in a fight to the death, joined in, and I knew they wouldn't be able to get her to the fire if they stayed in the cave.

"Carlisle, Esme, get her outside!" I told them and they threw one of Helen's limbs to each of us. I scored her head and I sprinted outside, throwing it into the fire, the others on my heels. Once Helen was dead, I saw Carlisle drag Esme into his arms in relief. I smiled, glad that she was alright after the week of searching.

Once Carlisle let go of Esme, we sat in a circle, Sero bringing Hera to me. Esme's eyes were black, obviously because she hadn't hunted in over a week.

"Are you alright, Esme?" I asked her, relieved.

"I'm fine Kristen. I hope no one was hurt trying to find me." She said softly.

"Um…" I said softly as we glanced around nervously. "Most of us weren't hurt. We were intercepted about halfway through our journey through WA, and Carlisle and Rowan were killed. Matthew resurrected them, though." I explained, wondering how she would react. She drew in a deep breath, nodding slowly.

"Well," she said softly, still breathing deeply. "Thank you Matthew for resurrecting them." She added after a while.

"Alright, well…we should probably be getting home. And Esme, you might want to hunt." Carlisle said, looking briefly at Esme. We all got slowly to our feet.

"By the way, what's with the fourth dog?" Esme asked us softly, eyeing Hera.

"Um, while we were on our way to find you, Jumpy ran off. I found him not long afterwards, mating with this dog here. She is obviously pregnant, so we've decided to keep her so that when the pups are born they won't be running around killing anything and everything they see." I explained, holding my breath as I eyed Hera's expanded stomach.

"Carlisle allowed it, obviously?" she asked and I nodded. "Alright then." She said, smiling.

After a short while, we ran back towards the southern end of the WA border, towards SA. We stopped in a forest where Esme ran after an animal while the remainder of us stayed. A sudden snapping sound followed by a loud whimper caught our attention and we looked straight at Hera, who was shivering with pain, whimpers still coming from her throat. Rowan patted her gently while Carlisle and I worked to see what the problem was. I discovered a broken rib and Carlisle swore.

"Alice, where's the nearest town? I need some tape to keep the rib in place." He asked Alice urgently. He was obviously unsure of what else to do, as he was not a vet.

"About three miles west." Alice said and he thanked her, standing up.

"When Esme gets back, could you please tell her that I needed to go into town for some medical supplies?" he asked me and I nodded. With that, he ran west and I sat, holding Hera's side to keep the rib in place.

"I have an idea. I could go to university and study vet science. That way, I might be able to help the puppies after they're born." I said, looking up. Rowan smiled at me.

"Good on you, Kristen." He said, placing his arm around my waist.

"I might join you." Matthew said and I nodded.

"Have you studied biology?" I asked him and he thought for a moment.

"Not much. I know some aspects of biology, but not a lot." He said and I nodded.

"I could teach you a bit more, to prepare you for the veterinary course." I told him and he smiled at me.

"Thanks." He replied, just as Esme rejoined us. She looked around, before sitting down with us.

"Where's Carlisle?" she asked us.

"The pups broke one of Hera's ribs and he had to go into town to get some medical supplies." I explained and she looked at me, confused.

"Who's Hera?" she asked me and I sighed, realising I'd forgotten to explain what I'd named the dog.

"Hera is the dog. I'm sorry, I should've told you earlier what I'd called her." I said and she nodded.

"That's alright." She said.

Carlisle returned shortly afterwards, and I held Hera still while he taped her rib in place.

"Alright Kristen, you're going to have to jostle her as little as possible while you're running." He told me and I nodded. "Let's go guys." He said to the rest of the group and we all stood up and started running, when I realised Hera's heartbeat was sort of thready, and she was as skeletal as if she hadn't eaten for months. I increased my speed, catching up to Carlisle easily.

"Carlisle, listen to Hera's heart." I said to him and he listened before nodding once.

"Alright, we'll need to get her some blood as soon as possible, because it's more urgent with more than just one half-vampire in there. They're all demanding blood at once." He said to me and I nodded, keeping my grip on Hera firm but extremely gentle to avoid injuring her further.


	42. Chapter 41: Home

_Chapter 41: Home_

We arrived home about a couple of days later, and I immediately ran into the bush, catching a few dingoes, bringing them home.

"Kristen? What's with the three dingoes?" Carlisle asked me as I returned home.

"Blood donors for Hera." I replied and he raised an eyebrow.

"So why do you need three?" he asked me and I sighed.

"I need three because, in case you haven't noticed, one is a male and two are females. I was thinking that we keep them in an enclosure as continuous blood donors, so that we'd have a continuous supply of blood for Hera. This is at least until she gives birth." I explained and he sighed.

"Alright, but it would be difficult to find somewhere to keep them, without them killing Freddie, or the dogs killing them." He told me and I smiled.

"Follow me. I'll show you where I'm planning on keeping them." I said and his eyebrows pulled together in confusion, but he followed me anyway.

I led him around to the house, to where I'd asked Rowan and Alice to set up an enclosure large enough to allow three dingoes to run around. There was even a built-in covered area for them to sleep or retreat when it rained.

"Not bad, Kristen. I have to admit, I'm impressed with this. But when did you get time to build it?" he asked me.

"I didn't build it. I told Rowan to ask Alice if she could help him build an enclosure large enough to house three dingoes comfortably." I replied and he sighed, a slight smile lighting up his face.

I slowly led the three dingoes into their enclosure, before backing out and closing the gate behind me, locking it with a padlock and chain.

"Now, as I said to the others while you were in town, I thought a good idea would be to become a vet. I'm going to see which universities offer veterinary science. What do you think?" I asked him as we walked back towards the front door of the house.

"I'm not entirely sure, Kristen, but it's up to you. It definitely sounds like a good idea, with us now having a whole lot of animals to look after. You'll just have to organise it yourself." He said and I smiled.

"I'm fine with that." I replied as we arrived back at the house. I ran straight up to my room to get a syringe for the dingo's blood, but finding Freddie sitting up. I smiled slightly at how much he'd grown while I was away. One week and already he was getting big. It wouldn't be very long before he was ready to be released into the wild. I knew that I needed to get some blood for Hera quickly, so I grabbed the syringe and ran back downstairs and toward the dingoes' enclosure. Opening the gate, I walked in and caught a dingo, holding it still while I found the vein in its foreleg, pushing the syringe in and drawing out some blood. After that, I pressed on the wound gently to stop the bleeding. When the bleeding stopped, I released the dingo and walked out of the enclosure, locking the gate after me.

Having done that, I ran home, emptying the blood into Hera's bowl, allowing her to lap it up.

When Hera was done, I went to the kitchen and rinsed out her bowl, filling it with food and taking it back to her, and she ate as though she hadn't eaten for a month.

I walked to the living room while Hera was eating. The remainder of the family were there, talking softly amongst themselves. Rowan walked towards me as I approached, smiling slightly.

"Those that stayed behind would like to hear what happened on our journey." He said to all of us and we sat in a circle.

"Alright, well…we'd followed the Hume Highway to the Victoria-SA border, where Elizabeth told us that she could see what they'd done in the past and therefore lead us along their path." Carlisle began talking in a soft voice. "We followed her for a while, before we found out that someone was able to somehow able to block her ability, and therefore she could no longer see which way they'd gone. We were left to follow the very faint scent left behind them. However, the different scents all fanned out in different directions and we needed to follow the general direction of the scents to know which way to go, but they led us too close to the coast and therefore a coastal town full of humans. The newborns ran off and Kristen held them back and sent them into a nearby forest to hunt. The rest of us followed and found her waiting. Kristen if you could please continue?" he asked me and I nodded.

"Shortly after the newborns were sent hunting, I realised that unless there were telekinetic vampires on Helen's side, regardless of which scent we followed, they would all reach the same place in the end. I spoke to Carlisle about this and he agreed, but Rowan told me that they'd intentionally led us close to the coast, to throw us off course. We asked Sero if he knew whether anyone in Helen's coven was telekinetic, and he told us they weren't, as he was able to tell someone's ability by looking at them. We continued, but we were met by a large group of vampires, who'd seen us. We had no choice but to fight them. During the fight, Carlisle and Rowan were killed, but Matthew resurrected them. We continued on without much more event, and reached where Esme was being kept about a week after leaving home. We killed the ten vampires guarding her before killing Helen. Not much else happened after that." I explained and they nodded.

"So...what's with the fourth dog? It's mortal obviously, but why is it here?" Kat asked me, eyeing Hera.

"This is Hera. During the journey, Jumpy ran off and I found him mating with her shortly afterwards. She's now definitely pregnant with Jumpy's half-vampire puppies, so we need to keep her. It's all we can do, or the pups would be completely out of control." I explained and she nodded, stroking Hera's head gently.

"I suppose that's a good idea. I mean, we are trying to keep our identity a secret." Edward said and Kat smiled slightly as she gently stroked Hera. The dog looked up at her, tail wagging slowly, nearly between her hind legs.

"It's okay Hera, she's not going to hurt you." I murmured to the nervous dog, scratching her behind her ears gently, which I knew she liked. "Don't worry Kat, she's never really been around people before, and now she has the natural aversion that all mortal animals feel towards us is making her even more nervous." I added to Kat and she nodded. "Now Matthew, do you want to learn more biology so you're prepared to do that Veterinary course at University?" I asked Matthew, who nodded, smiling. I saw Rowan shoot a quick glance at Matthew and I. "And Rowan, if you're that worried, you can come and watch us. You might learn something." I told Rowan, who I knew would be concerned I'd be cheating on him in some way. He sighed, standing up and following Matthew and I upstairs. I led them into a small room that I'd recently dubbed as my study. Matthew and I sat down, but Rowan stood in the corner, obviously trying to stay out of the way.

Actually Rowan, could you please let me know when it's six pm? I'll need to feed the kids and Hera then. I'll feed the dingoes and get a bit more of their blood for Hera after that." I said to Rowan and he nodded.

"I'll keep an eye on the time for you." He promised and I smiled.

"Thanks." I said, turning back to Matthew.

"Kristen, it's six now." Rowan said after two hours and I sighed, marking the page of the book I was teaching Matthew from and placed it back into its shelf.

"Thank you Rowan." I said to my boyfriend as Matthew left the room. I walked towards Rowan, hugging him. "You know I love you." I murmured to him and he smiled as he kissed me.

"I know. I love you too Kristen." He replied in a whisper. "I thought you said you were going to feed the kids at six." He added, looking at his watch as if to prove a point.

"I know, but I can't help it if you're just so damn distracting." I told him, laughing. He laughed along with me as we walked out of my small study and down the two flights of stairs. I walked into the kitchen and began preparing some dinner for the children, while Rowan rounded them up and sat them at the table.

"What's for dinner Mum?" I heard Krystal call from the table and I smiled.

"Yeah, what's for dinner?" Rowan echoed his daughter, coming up behind me.

"Well, you can catch your own dinner, Rowan. But tell Krystal that dinner is spaghetti bolognese." I told him and he pouted at me, before laughing and kissing me briefly. He smiled as he walked out of the kitchen to tell his daughter.

Once the children had their meal, I filled Hera's bowl with food and placed it down in front of her, before walking outside and running into the forest and taking down a large male kangaroo and taking it back to the dingoes' pen. I opened the gate and entered. I saw the dingoes run towards me eagerly, eyeing the dead kangaroo in my hand. I smiled as I walked towards the sheltered area of their pen and placed the kangaroo down. As soon as the kangaroo was on the ground the three dingoes ran up to it, but I grabbed one female as she ran past me. She struggled as I held her still, stroking her head gently to calm her.

When she'd calmed down, I crouched down, holding her left foreleg still while I used a scalpel to cut into the vein and allowed the blood to spill into the plastic drink bottle I had with me. Pressing on the cut until the bleeding stopped, I set her free to eat while I carried the bottle of blood back home.


	43. Chapter 42: Puppies

_Chapter 42: Puppies_

"Alice, are you coming?" I called out to Alice two weeks later.

"Coming." She replied in her trilling voice as she danced towards me.

"Where are you two going?" Esme asked us as we headed towards the front door.

"We're going to the public library to search for books on canine anatomy. We'll need them to know what we're doing when Hera gives birth." I explained and she nodded as Alice and I ran out of the house and into the garage.

"Should we take your car?" Alice asked me.

"Okay." I said as I got into the drivers' seat of the car and Alice in the passenger seat.

Starting the car, I drove us down the long drive and out onto the deserted road, turning west towards town.

"It would be so much faster if we ran." Alice said after ten minutes of driving.

"I know, but we're nearly there now. And besides, we don't want the humans catching sight of us running." I replied and she smiled.

"True." She said as I turned right onto a busy road leading to the centre of town. I continued driving along the road until I came across the library.

Parking the car in a nearly deserted carpark, Alice and I got out of the car and walked into the building. By what the humans were wearing, it was a cold day, so we crossed our arms across our chests as we walked through the strong wind.

Upon entering, we uncrossed our arms and walked towards the pet section of the library. Finding books on dogs, we flicked through, finding nothing.

"Damn. Alice is there a bookstore anywhere near here? You know, one for uni students?" I asked and she was silent for a moment.

"Not near here. The nearest one is in the north-eastern suburbs of Melbourne." She said. I sighed, knowing that neither of us was going to enjoy the two-hour drive from here to Melbourne.

"Alright, one sec while I let Rowan know that we're going to be a fair while if we're going to Melbourne." I said, taking out my mobile phone and dialling Rowan's number.

"Hello?" Rowan answered on the first ring.

"Hi Rowan, it's me. There's nothing at the library, so we need to head to Melbourne to a bookstore for uni students. Hopefully they'll have something there. We're going to be a while, so don't expect us back anytime soon." I explained and I heard him sigh.

"Damn, alright. I'll look after Hera while you're gone." He said.

"Don't forget to get a small amount of blood from the dingoes for her." I said softly so no humans in the area would hear.

"I won't forget. I'll see you when you get back." He told me and I sighed.

"You too." I said, hanging up. "Alright, let's go." I said, and the two of us walked out of the library and towards the car, just as it began raining.

"Great timing." Alice commented as I drove out of the carpark and back onto the main road, turning left onto the highway leading to Melbourne.

We arrived in Melbourne two hours later, and Alice gave me directions to the bookstore. I parked the car and we walked into the bookstore, walking towards the section for biology and veterinary courses. We found a few books and had a flick through them, and I discovered there was one textbook that fit what we were looking for. Alice found another and we walked towards the checkout to pay for them.

After paying for the books, we walked out of the store and back to the car. I placed the bag the books were in on the back seat, got into the drivers' seat and started the engine. I drove us back in the direction of home, parking the car in the garage another two and a half hours later. We got out, and I took the bag with the books up to my room, before checking on Hera. She was in the living room, chewing on a rawhide bone I'd bought for her a few days ago. I smiled as I walked towards Rowan sitting on the couch.

"Did you give her some blood?" I asked him and he smiled as he placed his arm around my shoulders.

"Yes I did. I also fed the dingoes while I was at it." He replied as I leaned against him.

"Thank you Rowan." I whispered, watching Hera chew on the bone. At that point, the six o'clock news came on, so I stood up, walking to the kitchen.

"Krystal, Devlin, Nessie! Come on, time for dinner." I heard Rowan call and the footsteps of the children as they came walking down the stairs to sit at the table. I smiled as I stirred. Rowan was definitely fitting into the role of a parent quite nicely. He even took responsibility and called Renesmee down, and she wasn't even his daughter! He had changed so much since I met him, a crazy seventeen year old with barely a care in the world. He used to refuse to take responsibility, until his children were born and he was suddenly thrown into the world of parenthood, where he was required to take responsibility.

I looked at the clock on the wall. Quarter past six. Carlisle was due home from the hospital soon. I turned the stove off and separated the food onto three plates, taking it out to the kids sitting at the table.

At about three o'clock the next morning, a loud yelp startled me and I ran to Hera, who was twitching in pain. I lifted her gently into my arms and ran downstairs. Alice appeared next to me, looking worried.

"Alice, get Jacinta. I'm not sure, but I think Hera's about to give birth." I said hurriedly and she disappeared upstairs, just as Carlisle appeared at the top of the stairs.

"What's going on Kristen? I heard her yelp." He asked me, running down to get a closer look.

"I'm not sure. But I think she's gone into labour. I've got Alice getting Jacinta so we can know for sure." I replied, listening to Hera's weak heartbeat. At that point, Alice and Jacinta reappeared.

"She is in labour. She's screaming in her head to get them out of her." Jacinta told me and I nodded, as Carlisle disappeared, reappearing a second later with his black bag. He placed her under anaesthetic and handed me a scalpel. I smiled slightly at him as I made an incision on her enormous belly.

It went well, until I reached the solid amniotic membrane. I put my strength into the scalpel and cut through the membrane, exposing the wet fur of the first tiny puppy. I lifted it out, handing it to Alice, who had a towel ready. I continued delivering the puppies, keeping tabs on Hera's heart at the same time. After the last puppy was born, however, and I stitched up the wound, I heard her heart stop for several seconds, before starting again.

"She's dying." I mumbled, biting the dog's throat, making sure to inject enough venom to turn her. I was worried, however, that it wouldn't be enough to save her. I bit her again, this time on the chest, hoping the extra venom would help. With that done, I turned to the puppies. There were five of them, two males and three females. Their fur was now dry, and they were whimpering softly. Jacinta was kneeling next to them, making sure they were alright.

"They're just hungry." She said and I nodded.

"Carlisle, could you please stay with them, while I get some blood from the dingoes for them?" I asked Carlisle, who nodded, his blonde hair glinting in the artificial light. I sprinted out of the back door, and nearly ran headlong into Jasper.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"The puppies are born, and I'm just getting some blood for them." I replied and he nodded.

"Would you like me to help you?" he asked.

"That would be great thanks." I replied and he followed me to the dingo enclosure.

Upon arrival, I opened the gate and he and I walked in. I closed the gate after us and walked towards the dingoes. Jasper had already caught the male dingo and I ran over to him, using a scalpel to cut into the vein in the animal's foreleg, and allowing the blood to spill into the plastic drink bottle. Once I had enough blood to feed all puppies, I pressed firmly on the cut to stop the bleeding, before straightening up.

"Alright, you can let him go now." I said and Jasper patted the dingo briefly before letting him go. We walked out of the enclosure and, after locking the gate, ran back to the house. I ran with Jasper into the living room where the dogs were and knelt next to the puppies, separating the blood into separate small bottles and together, the five of us hand-fed the pups.

_Rowan, could you please come down here? The pups have been born and are healthy, but I've had to bite Hera to keep her alive._ I thought and a second later, Rowan was standing beside me. He knelt down, looking at each of the puppies in turn, a smile creeping onto his face. I smiled too as I watched the pups feed. One male was light brown with one grey hind paw; while the other male was grey in colour with a black stripe down his forehead. One female was completely black except for a light brown coloured muzzle; the second was light brown with a black head and neck; while the third female had a grey body, black legs and paws and a light brown head and tail, with a white patch on her chest and stomach. It was impossible to tell which colour was the base colour on the third female. All had long tails for their bodies, but the first male had a shorter tail than the rest. Both males had dropped ears, the first female had ears that I expected would be erect, while the other two females had ears that would probably be semi-erect, or dropping slightly into a triangle shape.

"By the way, what should we call the puppies?" I asked the vampires surrounding me once the pups had been fed and fallen asleep.

"Why not call the brown and grey one Dingo?" Jacinta suggested, and I could see what she meant. The pup had inherited Hera's dingo-like body shape. He literally looked like a dingo pup.

"Good idea Jacinta." Rowan said to her.

"Alright, Dingo it is then." I said. "And I think we could call the multicoloured female Teera." I said softly. "It's kind of a play on Hera." I added and everyone smiled.

"She does look a bit like Hera, bar the multicoloured side." Alice said.

"Okay, so we have Dingo and Teera. What else?" Carlisle said, the corners of his mouth turning up in a slight smile as he watched the pups sleep.

"Let's call the black and grey male Prince." Rowan suggested after a while and I smiled.

"Okay, now only two females left to name." I said.

"I want to call the black one with the brown muzzle Allie." Jacinta said.

"Alright, what should we call the last one?" Carlisle asked.

"Why not Olive?" Jasper suggested, watching the tiny female sleep.

"Good idea. Okay, so we have Dingo, Teera, Prince, Allie and Olive. Everyone happy with that?" I asked and everyone nodded. We all stood up and went their own ways. Rowan and I walked upstairs to check that the children were still asleep, or if they'd woken up. It was now sunrise, about six am. As it was Monday, Carlisle and I were due at the hospital at eight, and almost everyone else except Esme and Matthew were due at school at nine.


	44. Chapter 43: Unusual Occurrences

_**AN: By the way, to be completely honest to you all, I have a weird obsession with Carlisle, so please don't ask about the content of this chapter. I was in a very strange mood when I wrote this, but I can't think of how to change it, so I'll put it up as it is. It's almost like a weird fantasy that I had to get out of my head.**_

_Chapter 43: Unusual Occurrences._

Three days later, as Hera awoke; the five pups had all opened their eyes for the first time. They were also moving around more now. They were growing quickly and I knew it wouldn't be long before they reached adulthood. As it was now Thursday, I needed to get ready for work, but I really couldn't help but watch the pups in wonder. I'd watched Krystal and Devlin grow quickly – so quickly that although they were born only about a year ago, they physically looked about ten or eleven years old. But this was different. I'd watched mortal dogs grow from birth before, and this accelerated growth was intriguing me.

However, as Carlisle and I were at the hospital, we received a call from Esme.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Kristen, Hera bit someone." She said, sounding worried. Carlisle looked up as she said that.

"Are they conscious?" I asked.

"Yes. She only bit his wrist. I've told him to go to the hospital to see you and Carlisle." She replied.

"Alright, did he give you a name?" I asked her softly, and in my peripheral vision, I could see Carlisle watching me closely, scrutinising my every move and listening carefully to every word we said.

"Um Peter. He didn't give me a surname." She said.

"Alright. Peter. I'll be waiting for him. Carlisle's here in the room and I'm sure he can hear you." I said and he nodded. "He just nodded at me, so he can hear you." I added.

"Good. Thank you Kristen." She said, hanging up. I closed my mobile phone and turned to Carlisle.

"Well, it looks like we'd better wait in the foyer. Peter shouldn't be long." Carlisle told me and I nodded as we walked out of the office and into the hallway. We took a lift down to the ground floor and exited the lift into the foyer.

After about five minutes, both Carlisle and I were hit with the strong scent of fresh blood as a young man with light brown hair walked into the building with a piece of cloth tied tightly around his left forearm and blood streaming unchecked down his hand. He walked up to the reception.

"Hi, I'm here to see Dr. Cullen and Kristen." He said and Carlisle and I walked up to him.

"Hello, Peter, is it?" Carlisle asked him smoothly.

"Yes." The man replied.

"I'm Dr. Cullen, and this is Kristen. You were here to see us?" Carlisle asked.

"Yes, I was told to by someone who called herself Esme – or something like that – to come here and see you. I was bitten by a dog." He explained, indicating his left wrist.

"Alright, follow us please, Peter." I said and he nodded as Carlisle and I led him upstairs and into a nearby ward. "Please sit down Peter." I told him and he sat down.

"Alright, could you please describe the dog that bit you, Peter?" Carlisle asked him.

"It was definitely female, with short, light brown fur and erect ears. Her tail was of about a medium length. She also had a dingo-like body shape." Peter said.

"Alright and how does the wound feel?" I asked him.

"Besides a burning feeling in my hand and arm, it barely hurts." He replied. Carlisle and I looked at each other briefly.

"Hmm...Okay. Well Peter, I'm afraid we're going to need to explain something to you." I said softly. Carlisle drew the curtain and walked back to join us.

"What's going on?" Peter asked us politely, even though I knew he was nervous. It seemed that no matter how he was feeling, he was always as polite as possible.

"Well, firstly, the woman that sent you here was my wife. The dog that bit you is our dog. She is a vampiric dog. Kristen, myself and my wife, Esme are vampires, along with our foster children. The burning feeling in your arm is vampire venom flowing through your veins. Frankly, I'm surprised that you're not screaming with the pain." Carlisle explained. Peter looked at him as though he had five extra heads and antennae.

"What do you mean? That doesn't make sense. If you two are vampires, how are you not wanting to kill me?" he asked us.

"Firstly, we live on the blood of animals. I'm actually allergic to human blood, while Dr. Cullen has learned to ignore the scent of human blood." I explained.

"How do I know you're not lying?" he asked us.

"Think about it Peter. What colour were the dog's eyes?" I asked him and his eyes widened.

"They were bright red. That's definitely not normal for dogs." He said softly. I held out my hand.

"Touch my hand and you'll realise what we mean." I said and he hesitantly reached out and touched my hand, drawing it back quickly with a sharp breath.

"Your hand is as cold as ice. That's not normal either." He said softly.

"That's what I'm saying." I told him, just as he shivered.

"My whole body feels like it's on fire." He said, gritting his teeth.

"Just relax Peter. That pain is normal as part of the transformation. Relax and we'll do what we can for you." Carlisle said and he nodded, trying to relax.

After about ten minutes, he tensed suddenly, before losing consciousness.

"Time to get him home. Kristen, if you could carry him to the car, I'll sign us out." Carlisle told me and I nodded, lifting Peter into my arms and carrying him to the door. "Go out the window, it's the easiest way to get out without attracting suspicion." He added softly.

"Alright." I said, walking past him to the window, unconsciously brushing his arm lightly with mine as I passed. Instead of asking me about it, however, I saw him smile slightly as he left the ward. I leapt out of the window and landed, making sure I jostled the unconscious Peter as little as possible in the meantime. I ran to the car, laying him across the back seat of my car and keeping him in place with the seatbelts. With that, I sat in the drivers' seat just as Carlisle appeared and sprinted quickly over, getting into the passenger seat. I started the engine and drove us home.

As I drove, Carlisle looked over his shoulder into the back seat at Peter.

"Is he alright?" he asked me, looking back at me, his golden eyes meeting mine. I looked away quickly, watching the road ahead of me.

"He'll be fine. He's doing well, but by the sounds of it, the venom had reached his heart before we even got him out of the hospital." I said and Carlisle sighed.

"I'm not entirely happy that it got to this. I could've stopped the transformation without killing him, but I didn't. I'm not sure why I didn't stop it." He said softly to me, looking out the side window of the car.

"I can think of one reason. If you'd sucked the venom out of his bloodstream, your eyes would be red, and considering we were at the hospital at the time, you'd have terrified all the humans there." I explained and he inclined his head to show he'd acknowledged my theory. "As for other reasons, however, I have no idea. I can't get into your mind the way Edward and Rowan can." I added and I saw the corners of his mouth twitch slightly as though he were fighting a smile.

_Wait a second; why am I noticing all these insignificant details? Is there a logical reason for it?_ I asked myself in my head, getting frustrated when the only answer I could come up with was that I was somehow in love with Carlisle. But I wasn't, was I?

_It's the only logical explanation we have for why you're noticing these things when normally you wouldn't be._ A small internal voice said to me, frustrating me further.

"Kristen? Are you alright?" Carlisle asked me, looking concernedly at me. I sighed to calm myself down. "By the way, you might want to loosen your grip on the steering wheel before you crush it. I can already see you making indents." He added and I loosened my fingers around the steering wheel, realising that he was right about having made indents.

"Oops, my mistake." I said, laughing. Carlisle chuckled.

"What was wrong?" he asked me, recovering himself quickly. I sighed.

"Nothing. I'm just battling internally, that's all." I said, realising as soon as I had said it, that I'd said too much. Carlisle was looking curious.

"About what?" he asked and I took a deep breath, holding it for a second to calm myself, before I exhaled slowly.

"Nothing, you don't need to worry about it." I told him softly, my eyes flicking briefly in his direction. He seemed to have noticed, however, as he smiled slightly and inclined his head to one side.

To hide my embarrassment, I stopped the car at a set of traffic lights and looked over my shoulder at Peter in the back seat. He looked fine, if a little pale, and the steady thudding sound told me his heart had regulated dramatically over the minutes we'd been in the car for. I turned back to face the front windscreen of the car, just as the lights turned green and I touched the accelerator, moving the car forward. Carlisle must've been able to see that I was avoiding the subject, because he placed his hand on my shoulder gently.

"Kristen, if you need to say something, you can tell me. I won't judge you, regardless of what it is you need to say." he explained and I sighed, extremely glad that I couldn't blush. "And by the looks of the traffic, it's going to be a long drive home." he added, looking out the windscreen as if to prove a point.

_Dammit! Things couldn't get worse, could they? Why does the road have to be heavily congested?_ I thought to myself irritably, trying hard not to tighten my grip on the wheel too much. I didn't want to have to get a new car because I broke this one in frustration. I knew it would alert Carlisle and the others that something was wrong and I was trying to hide it. I couldn't let that happen.

As per usual, Carlisle could see my tension, because his eyebrows pulled together as he watched me.

"Kristen? Are you sure you're alright?" he asked me softly. "Did you want me to drive?" he suggested and I took deep, slow breaths.

"No, I'll be alright. I'm actually just a bit annoyed that we're stuck here in traffic, with a half-turned man in the back." I said softly, half-lying. He smiled.

"That's not all, though, is it?" he asked me and I cursed internally. How could he tell? Was he Jasper in disguise, or even Edward in disguise?

"No, you're right." I said, giving in. He looked at me pointedly, obviously waiting for me to continue. I sighed deeply. How was I going to tell him? And what would he think of me when I did tell him? "Um I'm not sure how to say this." I mumbled, knowing he would hear and understand me perfectly.

"Just say it, Kristen. I'll listen, but I won't judge." He said softly and I took a deep breath.

"I don't know how it'll reflect on us." I said softly. He waited patiently, allowing me to summon up the courage.

I parked the car on the shoulder of the road, getting out and opening the back door to check on Peter. Although his heart was beating steadily, his breathing was shallow. He was also shivering slightly, so I walked to the boot of the car and took out a blanket. Walking back to him, I placed it over him to keep him warm. As a vampire, I'd forgotten that I couldn't feel cold the way humans could. Having done that, I sat back in the drivers' seat, still trying to breathe normally.

"You're avoiding it, aren't you?" he asked softly. I looked away – this was getting very awkward. I had my hands clasped in my lap, and to avoid looking at him, I watched them instead.

Without warning, however, he placed his hand over both of mine. Confused, I looked up at him, seeing him smiling at me.

"If you don't want to talk about whatever's bothering you, Kristen, you don't have to. It's up to you." He said to me as he withdrew his hand. I smiled in return.

I started the car and began driving again, breathing a little easier, but still refusing to look at him.

"However, I may as well say something to you." He said to me and I looked at him, confused, parking on the road's shoulder again. He was looking just as nervous as I felt, which began to confuse me more. "I know that technically I shouldn't feel like this, because I'm married, but I can't change the fact that I am male." He explained, obviously trying to skirt around what he was really trying to say in the same way that I had been. This confused me, but the expression in his eyes, though faint, confused me even more.

"What do you mean, Carlisle?" I asked him and he looked down at his knees in obvious embarrassment.

"I – I've fallen in love with you." He murmured in such a soft voice that for a second I thought I was imagining it. His lips barely moved as he said it. I sat frozen in complete shock, without even breathing, half of me waiting for him to laugh and say he was joking, but he didn't. He just sat there, staring at his knees, his face almost ashamed that he had to admit it.

"You just said what I was trying to avoid saying, Carlisle. But you know as well as I do that we can't. But you're right, we can't change the fact that we are the genders that we are." I whispered and he looked up slightly until his eyes met mine.

"I know, because Esme and Rowan would most likely be devastated if anything were to happen between us." He said earnestly.

"Yeah, and not to mention that they wouldn't trust us again. And I don't know about you and Esme, but I do still love Rowan, and I don't think anything could change that, personally." I said softly. "It would kill me if he didn't trust me again. He's probably suspicious of us because he's seen the way we get along."

"Kristen, if Esme didn't trust me, I don't think I'd survive, either. What I'd suggest is that we go back to the way we were before this. To avoid breaking their hearts, and ours." He said and I nodded.

"I was just thinking the same thing. It is the best thing to do, for everyone's sake." I agreed, starting the car again.

"Your hands are shaking. Are you alright?" he noted and I looked at my hands.

"I'm fine, just a bit surprised and to be completely honest, a bit embarrassed." I admitted sheepishly.

"Did you want me to drive?" he asked, but I shook my head.

"No, I think I'm alright." I replied, pulling out again onto the road. "By the way, what made you admit your feelings? Was it because I was trying to avoid saying what was bothering me?" I asked him softly.

"Admittedly, there were a few reasons to it. One was the reason you guessed. Another was so you knew before Jasper could find out. Personally, I don't want to think about what he'd say. Third was that if I didn't tell you now, you'd probably find out in time, anyway, along with Esme and Rowan. Their reaction is another thing I don't particularly want to think about." He said softly and I laughed softly.

"True, considering I've seen both of them in a foul mood before, and I'll admit that it scares me to think about their reaction." I explained and he chuckled.

"Very true, Kristen. We should be getting home, in any case, before Esme starts becoming suspicious. It's taken us an hour to drive two kilometres." He said and I looked at the clock, laughing.

"True, and not to mention the others would be coming home from school now, anyway." I added, starting the car and driving out onto the road again.


	45. Chapter 44: Veterinarians

_Chapter 44: Veterinarians_

Over the three days that Peter remained unconscious, I continued to teach Matthew biology to prepare him for the university course, which would require him to know biology.

Carlisle and I had taken a few days off work to make sure Peter survived, which left me free to teach Matthew while Carlisle was looking after Peter.

"Alright Matthew, I think I should test you to make sure you understand it all. Are you ready?" I asked him on the third day, and he nodded slowly, taking deep breaths.

"Yes, I think." He replied, just as a knock on the door of my small study interrupted us.

"Come in." I called and the door opened to reveal Carlisle.

"I hope I wasn't interrupting anything?" he asked, smiling slightly.

"What do you think we were doing?" I asked him, confused.

"I don't know, and frankly I don't think I want to. All I heard was that you were going to test him." He replied and I clapped my hand to my forehead, shaking my head as I realised what he was thinking.

"No Carlisle; that is not what I was going to test him on. I was going to test his knowledge on biology to make sure he understood what I was teaching him. Don't forget that he needs it in order to do the veterinary course." I explained and Carlisle laughed while Matthew finally seemed to have caught on to what Carlisle was implying, as his eyes grew wide and he stood up, walking out fairly quickly.

"Well, I think he sees you in that way, even if it's not mutual." Carlisle muttered only loud enough for me to hear.

"Why were you implying that I was cheating on Rowan?" I asked him, slightly annoyed.

"I wasn't. You just took it the wrong way." He replied innocently, flashing a smile in my direction. When I saw the smile, my heart nearly began beating again, and I stopped breathing temporarily. "Kristen, I'm now thankful you're a vampire. If you were human, you'd probably have passed out by now." He said after a few minutes. I smiled, and finally began breathing again.

"Or you might've had to resuscitate me." I said so softly that he had to lean in to hear me.

"You're not supposed to tempt me, remember?" He told me softly in barely even a whisper. This was beginning to get a bit too intimate. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"Alright, what was the original reason for coming in here?" I asked him, recovering myself.

"I wanted to let you know that Peter is due to regain consciousness soon. My guess is sometime in the next few minutes. When I left, his heart was slowing, but his breathing was strong." He replied, his eyes meeting mine briefly, before I had to look away.

"Okay, we'd better go see him, then." I said and he nodded as we left my small study and walked into the last available room. Peter was in there, lying unconscious on the bed. As I walked up to him, however, I heard his heart falter, before stopping completely. His breathing faltered for a second, and at the sound of his breathing faltering, Carlisle and I sprinted towards him, but as we reached him his breathing returned to normal and he opened his eyes slowly. As he looked around the room, confusion, surprise and intrigue became obvious in his face before he settled his bright red eyes on us.

"Are you alright Peter?" Carlisle asked him taking a step closer, and as he did so, I felt his arm brush gently against me. I took a deep breath to keep myself in control, still watching Peter.

"What's going on? I can see so clearly, and smell every scent. I can also hear a thudding in the distance." He asked and I sighed, taking a step forward so I was next to Carlisle.

"The thudding you can hear in the distance is the sound of hearts beating downstairs. You are a vampire, Peter. That's why your vision is so clear, and you're able to smell and hear things that you'd never have been able to before." I explained and his eyes focused on me.

"But how can that be possible? Vampires were supposed to be myth and legend. Next you're going to tell me there is such thing as werewolves." He said and I sighed, smirking.

"Werewolves exist, too. If you don't believe me about being a vampire, place your hand where your heart would be." I explained and he did as he was told, his eyes widening. "What do you feel?" I asked.

"Nothing. What's going on? How can I be alive when my heart isn't beating?" he asked me, looking absolutely astonished.

"Only vampires can live without a beating heart. Do you remember when I treated your wound at the hospital?" I asked him and he nodded slowly. "Do you remember the temperature of my skin when I held your arm so I could treat it?"

"Yes, but that doesn't make sense." He said.

"Doesn't it? Think about it Peter, you felt the temperature of my skin, and you've found out your heart isn't beating. If my skin is ice cold, do you think I'd have blood flowing in my veins?" I asked him and his eyes widened.

"You're right, Kristen, but how can I be a vampire? I was bitten by a dog, for crying out loud." He explained.

"How hard did she bite you? Did it look like she applied much pressure?" I asked him and he thought for a second, before shaking his head. "Now, as a nurse, I know that a dog wouldn't normally be able to break the skin if it doesn't apply much pressure. How would that dog be any different, then, if she isn't a vampire?" I asked him. "And you told us that she had red eyes, which also isn't usually possible for a dog." I added and he sighed.

"I see where you're coming from, but it's come as a shock to me. I've lived my whole life not believing in vampires, and then all of a sudden, I wake up and I am one, after being bitten by a dog, no less!" he said and I nodded understandingly.

"Believe me, Peter, I felt pretty much the same way when I first became one. I was chased by my brother, and no matter what I did, I couldn't outrun him or even hurt him in any way to stop him coming after me. I was thrown against trees, which collapsed underneath me before he finally bit me." I explained to him and he looked astonished.

"Your brother bit you?" he asked me softly.

"Yes, but then again, he was a murderous idiot." I replied, shrugging. "But enough of that, we should take you hunting. My guess is that your throat hurts?" I asked him and he nodded, his hand on his throat. "Thought so. You're thirsty." I added and he stood up.

"By the way Peter, I will ask you not to attack any humans that are nearby, because in this family, we only hunt animals." Carlisle explained to him and he nodded slowly.

"It would be interesting, however, with a vet hunting animals." He replied and I looked at him, confused.

"You're a vet?" I asked.

"Yeah, and that's why it came as a shock for that dog to bite me so gently and still cause me to bleed so profusely." He replied, following us towards the window. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" he asked us, looking nervous.

"Don't worry Peter. Vampires are built much stronger than humans, remember?" I replied and he nodded, before jumping out, Carlisle and I following suit.

Landing in the forest, Carlisle and I sniffed the air and ran deeper into the forest with Peter on our heels. While we were running, I tried looking at Carlisle as little as possible, keeping my gaze fixed ahead of me. I was hoping he needed to hunt as well and that I'd be free to think without him distracting me.

"Alright Peter, there aren't any humans nearby, so you're free to hunt." Carlisle said and Peter looked around.

"But what do I do? I don't know how to hunt." He said and I sighed.

"Let your instincts take over when you hunt and you'll be fine, but don't go too far west or you'll end up near the road, and therefore humans. We don't quite want any accidents." I explained and he nodded, looking to the east, sniffing once and running into the distance.

My hopes were in vain, however, because Carlisle stayed where he was, watching where Peter had disappeared into the distance. He looked distracted, but I refused to say a word, so I turned around to resist the temptation to talk to him. I sat down while I awaited Peter's return.

"Kristen, are you alright?" Carlisle's voice came from behind me and I turned my head slowly to look at him, taking a deep breath and holding it. He was kneeling next to me, his hand on my shoulder. His face was only a few inches from mine and I swallowed, looking away.

"You know you're going to make me kiss you if you keep doing that." I mumbled softly and he chuckled, his breath tickling my ear. I stood up, taking a few steps away.

"Is something wrong, Kristen?" he asked, also standing up.

"Nothing's wrong, Carlisle. I'm just trying to avoid anything happening between us. I don't want any hearts broken, ours, or theirs." I explained and he nodded understandingly.

"You're right. I know I shouldn't even feel this way about you, but...I can't help it. You are...attractive, Kristen. On every level." He said softly, looking away, obviously embarrassed. My jaw dropped when I heard that.

"You're joking, Carlisle. Tell me you're joking." I said, but he shook his head.

"No, I'm actually quite serious, Kristen. You are." He replied.

"And why would you want someone like me, when you've already got Esme, who is about ten times more beautiful than me?" I asked him and he sighed, placing his head in one hand.

"You don't see yourself very clearly, Kristen." He said to me.

At that moment, Peter arrived back and I sighed in relief. I was saved from answering Carlisle.

"Are you done, Peter?" I asked him and he nodded.

"Yeah." He replied.

"Good, we might get back to the house then." I said.

"Actually, Peter I'd like to ask you if you'd like to join the family. You don't have to feel obliged to agree, though." Carlisle asked Peter, who smiled.

"I'll take you up on that offer, thank you, Dr. Cullen." Peter said and Carlisle and I smiled.

"Please, call me Carlisle." Carlisle said to him and he smiled apologetically.

"Sorry Carlisle." He corrected himself and Carlisle nodded once at him, smiling.

"There's no need to apologise Peter. Now, we should be getting back, so we can introduce you to the family. Kristen, I'm assuming the others are home by this time?" Carlisle turned to me for clarification. I looked at my watch. It was after three.

"It's after three, they should be on their way home, if not home already." I replied and he nodded as we sprinted back in the direction of home.

We arrived home at just about the same time as the other vampires. Rowan ran up to me , stopping when he saw Peter.

"Who's this?" he asked me and I smiled.

"Well, get everyone to the table and you'll find out. The children as well, please." I told him and he sighed, nodding. Carlisle, Peter and I made our way to the table, sitting down. Everyone appeared shortly afterwards, sitting around the table, looking curiously at Peter. Esme, however, smiled at him.

"Alright guys, this is Peter. Peter, this is our family: my wife Esme, Edward, his wife Bella, Rosalie and her husband Emmett, Jasper and his wife Alice, Kristen's boyfriend Rowan, Elizabeth and her brother Joshua, Kat, Anouk, Jacinta, Sero and Matthew; and this is Edward and Bella's daughter Renesmee, and these are Kristen and Rowan's children, Krystal and Devlin." Carlisle said, motioning to each person as he said their names. Peter nodded at each person in turn.

"What about them? I recognise that brown female dog, but who are the others?" he asked, eyeing the dogs.

"The brown one you recognise is Hera, then we have her mate, Jumpy, and his siblings Dalmatio and Reggie. The five pups are Jumpy and Hera's pups, the females are Teera, Allie and Olive, and the males are Dingo and Prince." I said, indicating each pup as I said their name.

"Well, I'm pleased to meet you all." Peter said to everyone, looking around.

"Okay Peter, the room you woke in will be your room from now on, okay?" Carlisle said to him and he nodded, smiling.

"By the way Peter, when your eyes turn golden, will you be attending school with us, or not?" Edward asked.

"Well, I was a vet before I was bitten, but I'm not sure what'll happen." Peter replied.

"Peter, I personally think that you should continue your job at the clinic, but not until your eyes become the golden colour." Carlisle told him.

"Okay." Peter replied.


	46. Chapter 45: Trouble

_Chapter 45: Trouble_

About two months after Peter woke as a vampire, his eyes had turned golden and he'd started working at the veterinary clinic again. Carlisle and I continued to work at the hospital, and things were looking to go back to the way they were.

It didn't last, however, as one Friday, Carlisle and I were busy doing surgeries, and all this exposure to blood had given us a need to hunt.

We told the reception we were going on a 'lunch break', and left to go hunt. Once we'd finished hunting, we walked into town, when a soft sound caught our attention. It sounded like sobbing, but there were very few people around.

"What's going on?" I wondered aloud, looking around. No one else seemed to be able to hear it.

"I'm not sure, but it's obviously too soft for the humans to hear it." Carlisle replied.

Intrigued, I followed the sound. Carlisle followed as well, when we both stopped dead in our tracks. The scent of blood had just reached us. Someone was bleeding. We followed the sound and the scent at a run, reaching a garden bed shortly afterwards. The sound was coming from behind the line of very tall shrubs.

"Wait here, Carlisle. I'll let you know if I need help." I said to Carlisle, who nodded.

"Alright." He said and I smiled, as I stepped around the line of shrubs.

What I saw made me stop in my tracks. Kneeling there, completely naked, was a human woman, curled up with her head buried in her hands and her shoulders shaking with sobs. I took a slow, cautious step towards her, confused, yet concerned. She had severe bruising covering every inch of her body except for her face and neck, and shallow cuts and scratches covering most of her body as well. She had long, brown hair, which had twigs and leaves caught in it.

"Are you alright?" I asked the woman, taking another step towards her. She looked up.

"Wh-who are you?" she asked me, fear obvious in her hazel eyes.

"My name is Kristen, I work at the hospital nearby. What happened to you?" I asked her and she sighed, shivering slightly. "Are you cold?" I asked her, concerned. She nodded slowly, still looking wary. "Just a moment, I'll get you some clothes." I told her, walking out to where Carlisle was waiting.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"There's a woman kneeling behind those shrubs, starkers. I need you to run home and grab some clothes for her before she freezes to death." I replied softly so that no one would hear.

"What happened to her?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. I'll need to talk to her, but you're going to need to get her some clothes." I told him.

"Whose clothes should I get?" he asked me.

"I don't know. Grab some of Esme's, and just explain what happened. Knowing her, she should understand." I explained and he nodded, sprinting away. I took my jacket off and stepped behind the shrubs again, handing the jacket to her. "I've got my housemate just getting some clothes for you, but until he gets back, this should keep you warm enough." I explained and the woman nodded, taking the jacket and putting it on.

"Thank you." She said softly.

"No problem. What's your name, by the way?" I asked her.

"Natalie." She replied.

"Pleased to meet you Natalie. What happened to you?" I asked her softly, crouching down so I was at her level.

"Well, a few days ago, my husband and I were attacked by three men. My husband was seriously injured on the throat and left for dead while I was dragged away. The men dragged me to a back street near here, before they took my clothes off and assaulted me. I was…raped by all three, before they left me for dead. I crawled away, coming here, waiting to die. I don't want to live if my husband is dead." She explained, burying her face in her hands again as a fresh wave of tears escaped her. I placed my hand on her shoulder, hoping that through the thick jacket, she wouldn't feel the cold of my skin.

"I'm sorry Natalie. I really am." I said softly to her. Just then, I heard Carlisle's voice.

"Kristen?" he said and I sighed, standing up and walking towards him.

"I'm right here. I managed to get some information from her, but the thought of her ordeal caused her to break down in tears." I explained and he nodded, handing the clothes to me.

"Give those to her to change into and tell me about it while she's changing." He said softly to me. I nodded, taking the clothes from him and walking back towards Natalie.

"Here are the clothes. These should keep you warm." I said to her, handing the clothes to her. She nodded, taking the clothes. I walked out from behind the shrubs and towards Carlisle, who was now sitting on a bench nearby.

"Alright, I'm going to say it very softly and very quickly. Please pay attention." I told him as I sat next to him.

"What happened to her?" he asked me.

"A few days ago, she and her husband were attacked by three men. Her husband was seriously injured on the throat while she was dragged away. She was raped by all three men, before she, like her husband, was left for dead. She doesn't want to live while her husband isn't around." I explained and when I finished, Carlisle was looking horrified.

"Wait a second, three men attacked her and her husband, before _each_ raped her?" he repeated in a whisper, shocked. I nodded once and he shook his head slowly. "I think we take matters into our own hands at this point. You said that her husband was injured on the throat?" he asked and I nodded. "That indicates that the men that attacked her were vampires. We'll need to ask her what those men looked like." He told me and I nodded once.

"You're right Carlisle, but remember: if she was raped by three men, there's a chance that she won't trust most men very easily. I wouldn't be surprised if she's a but suspicious of you." I told him, just as Natalie walked out from behind the shrubs. She still had tear stains on her cheeks, but otherwise she looked a bit better.

She approached Carlisle and I slowly, looking nervous.

"Natalie, this is my housemate, Carlisle. Carlisle, this is Natalie." I said and Natalie nodded once at Carlisle, staying silent.

"Pleased to meet you Natalie." Carlisle said softly, looking sympathetic.

"Now Natalie, I've explained to Carlisle what had happened to you and the two of us have decided to help you." I said to her, indicating that she sit down. She sat slowly, flinching slightly as she did so. I could see that Carlisle noticed, because concern became obvious in his eyes.

"Natalie, I need to ask you what those three men looked like." Carlisle asked her softly.

"They all had deathly pale skin, and burgundy coloured eyes, but one had brown hair, one had black hair and the other had a dusky blonde coloured hair." She explained softly and Carlisle and I glanced worriedly at each other. I knew we were thinking the same thing: vampires had injured Natalie's husband and raped her.

"Alright, well we think that your husband may still be alive, and we'll go find him. But how many days ago were you attacked?" I asked her.

"About two and a half, now." She replied after a second of thought.

"We're going to have to explain something to you, Natalie, before we go search for your husband." Carlisle said to her and she looked at him curiously.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Well, by the descriptions you gave us of the men that had attacked you, Kristen and I are convinced that the men that attacked you were vampires." He explained only loud enough for her human ears to hear.

"What are you two going on about?" she asked him.

"Natalie, did the men look as though they were holding any weapons?" I asked her.

"No." she replied.

"What did they use to injure your husband's throat?"

"The blonde one looked as though he was going to whisper in his ear…then my husband screamed as the blonde man approached me. My husband was bleeding from the throat." Natalie explained, tears in her eyes again.

"The man bit your husband. That blonde man is a vampire, as are his companions, and they're still out there. I know it'll hurt you to hear this, but your husband, if he's still alive, is in the process of turning into a vampire." I explained gently so as to soften the blow a bit. Tears were now running down Natalie's face as she took this in.

"I-it's true, isn't it?" she murmured.

"Yes, unfortunately it is." I replied, my hand on her shoulder.

"And that's what we are." Carlisle said softly. Natalie looked up at him.

"What? But neither of you have the burgundy eyes." She said.

"That's because we have a different diet to those that attacked you." I explained, sighing.

"What do you mean?"

"While those vampires that attacked you live off human blood, Kristen, myself, and the remainder of our coven, or 'family' as we prefer to call it, live off the blood of animals." Carlisle explained.

"Even if, technically, I didn't get much of a choice, being intolerant to human blood." I murmured.

"There are more of you?" Natalie asked, not having heard me.

"Yes. Our coven is the largest grouping of vampires, but there are vampires scattered across the globe." Carlisle explained and she looked carefully at us.

"After my husband and I were attacked by vampires, how do I know that I can trust you?" she asked, suspicion becoming evident in her eyes.

"Natalie, Carlisle and I both work at the hospital. We're all but immune to the scent of human blood, and neither of us has intentionally hurt or killed a human in all the time we've been vampires." I explained. "We're virtually harmless."

"Natalie, your husband should be waking up soon. We should go find him." Carlisle said, looking briefly at his watch. We all stood up.

"But its kilometres away. Are we going to drive there, or something?" she asked us.

"No, we're going to run." I explained.

"That'll take us days." She said.

"No it won't. Vampires are able to run faster than any living thing on the face of this planet." I replied and she looked confused.

"To clarify what I said, Carlisle and I are going to run; one of us will carry you on our backs." I said and she looked first at Carlisle, then at me.

"Are you sure? I mean, I'd be a bit heavy, wouldn't I?" she asked.

"Not for us. We're also stronger than the strongest human in the world." I said, smiling.

"I suppose the only downside is that the speed may be a bit nauseating for you." Carlisle explained. "You might want to close your eyes while we run."

"Come on, we'd better get going." I said and Carlisle nodded. "Alright Natalie, I'll carry you on my back, so hold on tight around my neck. Don't worry about strangling me; vampires don't need air to survive." I explained and she nodded. I grabbed her hand and swung her onto my back, where she gripped around my neck.

"Let's go." Carlisle said, and he and I began sprinting, following Natalie's faint scent towards a back street, where her scent became mixed in with that of three other vampires. We followed the mixed scents at a run, discovering the scent of blood about five minutes later, on the side of a freeway. The only problem was that there was no body nearby. We stopped and I let Natalie down, making sure she was alright, before we walked off the side of the road and down a steep hill, where there was still the fresh scent of human blood. We stopped at the bottom of the hill, where we saw a man with brown hair lying face-down, with a scar in the shape of a bite mark in the arch of his throat, on the left side.

"William!" Natalie screamed, running towards the man, turning him over so he was lying on his back. Carlisle and I walked slowly towards them, looking carefully at the man, making sure he was alright. We could hear his heart and breathing, so we knew he was alive, but the fact that his heart was slowing told us he was about to wake.

At that point, the same scents that were mixed in with Natalie's that had led Carlisle and I here caught our attention.

"Crap. They've found us." I mouthed to Carlisle, just as the man in Natalie's arms groaned. "And we have a newborn vampire, as well, with a human nearby." I added.

"Natalie, as he's a newborn vampire, he's very dangerous. You're going to need to step away from him for now." Carlisle said urgently to Natalie, who stood up, walking towards us. Just then, the man opened his eyes and sat up, looking around and seeing Natalie with us.

"Natalie?" he said softly, before standing up. "You two get away from her!" he suddenly exclaimed, taking a step towards us. Carlisle took a step towards him, his hands held in front of him to show he meant no harm.

"Calm down. We're not going to hurt her. I understand you want to protect her, but you're dangerous to her at the moment." He said calmly and the man looked at us individually again.

"Why does Natalie smell so appealing?" he asked, obviously trying to fight the hungry look in his eye.

"You're a vampire, and Natalie's scent is appealing to you because she's still human. To avoid you letting slip and accidentally killing her, you need to go hunting." Carlisle explained to him.

"Carlisle, the three vampires are on their way. He shouldn't go very far from here. I think that I bring an animal here for him, while we keep Natalie away until he's done." I said to Carlisle, and Natalie looked around, fear becoming evident in her eyes.

"You bring an animal for him, and I'll make sure Natalie isn't nearby." Carlisle said and I nodded. I watched as he took Natalie's hand and led her away, before I willed a nearby kangaroo into my arms.

"Here you go, this should satiate your thirst." I said, handing the struggling beast to the man and he nodded, biting into its throat and draining it of its blood.

Just as the man had dropped the dead kangaroo, three vampires burst out of the trees and I spun around, standing in a defensive position. They were exactly as Natalie had described them. I heard the man standing behind me snarl and looked briefly at him, to see him also standing in a defensive position. I took a few steps back so I was standing next to him.

"What's your name, by the way?" I murmured to him, still watching the three vampires in front of us.

"William." He replied in a whisper, glaring at his attackers.


	47. Chapter 46: Oops

_Chapter 46: Oops_

"Get her." The brown-haired vampire said and before I had time to react, the three vampires had leapt at me, grabbing me around the arms and throat. I struggled against their strong grip, but it was all in vain.

The three of them began to drag me away, and I screamed, struggling to free myself. The vampire holding me by the throat tightened his grip, leaning in slightly.

"Stop that screaming, lady, or ya gonna end up dead." He whispered and I tried to twist myself out of his grip, but failed.

"Hey Adam, we got company. We gotta get her outta this area, before Blondie catches up to us." The black-haired vampire told the dusky blonde one holding my throat.

"Troy's right, Adam. We better get her outta here." The brown-haired vampire agreed.

"Phil, do ya really think he's gonna be able to take us on his own? There's three of us, and only one of him." The vampire named Adam replied.

"Don' forget, this girl's a vamp, and so is that guy ya bit three days ago. They're gonna help Blondie." The black-headed vampire named Phil argued and Adam sighed from behind me.

"Alright guys. Try and keep up wit me." Adam said to his companions and together they broke into a run, dragging me along with them.

I knew that the 'Blondie' they were talking about was Carlisle, and I was desperate to make sure he heard me.

"Carlisle!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, but Adam roughly placed a strong hand over my mouth. As my mouth was still open, I bit into his hand, taking fingers off and Adam retracted it rapidly, swearing.

"The bloody bitch bit me!" he exclaimed and Phil growled, biting my wrist in retaliation.

Eventually, despite my struggles to get free, they managed to get me to the deepest part of the forest and pinned me against a tree. Phil and Troy held me there by the arms while Adam tore at my clothes, obviously rushed. I kicked out, throwing him away from me, but he came back, looking furious.

"Alright lady, listen up. If ya do that again, we will kill ya." He growled, pressing himself against me.

Knowing I couldn't do anything to stop him, I hung there limply, whimpering while he violated me.

All of a sudden, however, we heard a snarl and the vampires dropped me at the base of the tree, standing in defensive positions. Looking up, I saw Carlisle and William standing there, with Natalie cowering behind them. Carlisle leapt at the vampires, William quickly following suit.

The fight lasted a few minutes before the vampires laughed and ran off, leaving me cowering at the tree.

I curled up, sobbing quietly without tears, trying to keep as much of my body covered as possible. All of a sudden, I felt someone place their arms around me. By the scent, I knew it was Carlisle, and I didn't resist when he pulled me against his chest.

"I'm sorry Kristen; I shouldn't have taken my eye off you. Natalie had tripped and it distracted me for a second. I'm so sorry that you had to deal with that." He murmured softly as he gently rubbed my back. I lay my head against his chest and allowed him to console me.

"I tried to fight back, Carlisle, but I just couldn't. I'm sorry." I whimpered and he sighed, pressing his lips against my forehead.

"You don't need to apologise, Kristen. You did nothing wrong." He told me softly, before looking up. "Rowan's on his way. Alice must've foreseen the incident." He said, reluctantly letting go of me, leaving just his hand on my shoulder.

At that point, a group of vampires ran onto the scene, running towards us.

"Kristen!" I heard Rowan's shout as he knelt next to me and pulled me against him. I hugged him in return, burying my face in his shoulder. He held me there for a moment, before grabbing my shoulders and gently pulling me away from him, looking confused. "You smell of Carlisle." He noted and I couldn't help but smile at that point.

"Carlisle hugged me as a way of consoling me after the vampires ran off. I promise that nothing happened between us." I told him and the corners of his mouth curled up in a slight smile as he pulled me against his chest again.

"Thank you Carlisle." He said over my head.

"No problem Rowan. She needs consolation at the moment." Carlisle replied from nearby.

"Kristen, did you see what the men looked like?" Rowan asked me softly when I finally managed to calm myself down enough to separate myself from him.

"Yes. I even managed to get first names." I replied. "One had dusky blonde hair, another had brown hair and the third had black hair. The blonde one was called Adam, the brown haired one was Phil and the black haired one was Troy." I explained and Rowan nodded seriously.

I soon realised that Jasper must've been around, because although I was still feeling fear, it was obvious that he was using his ability to calm me down.

"We're going to find these vampires and bring them to justice, don't worry Kristen." Rowan said to me, and I could hear a slight growl in his voice.

"Before we do anything Rowan, we're going to need to get her some clothes. By the looks of her current ones, the vampires tore them in a rush to get them off her." Carlisle explained and Rowan nodded.

"Would you mind keeping an eye on her while I go get them? I think Jasper should stay too so he can keep her emotions in check." He said, kissing me briefly while he got to his feet.

"Nothing's going to happen to her while we're here, Rowan. We'll look after her." I heard Alice's voice from somewhere behind me. Rowan nodded once, before running off.

While Rowan was gone, I looked towards Natalie and William. William was holding her close to him, but obviously trying to keep his grip gentle and his thirst under control. I also noticed, however, that he was managing fairly well, considering he'd just woken up.

"Are you alright Kristen?" came Esme's voice as the owner walked towards me. "Rowan let me know what happened." She said, kneeling down near me.

"I guess I'm alright, but I will take a while to recover." I replied and she nodded, still looking concerned. I looked around, seeing that not only had Alice, Jasper and Rowan arrived, but Rosalie and Edward had, too.

Rowan returned shortly afterwards, handing me some clothes that he had grabbed from my room. I stood up, running deeper into the trees to change, Rowan following me to protect me.

I changed quickly, joining the family once again when I was done. I walked towards William and Natalie to make sure they were okay. William looked up as I approached.

"Are you okay? I'm sorry, I should've helped you, but I wasn't sure what to do." He said to me and I smiled slightly.

"I'm fine, thank you William." I replied. "But are the two of you alright?"

"I'm alright." William said and Natalie looked up.

"I think I'm alright. But the sight of those three brought back memories of what they had…done to me. Especially seeing what they did to you." She whispered softly, tears leaking out of her eyes again.

"What do you mean Natalie? What did those…bastards do to you?" William asked his wife softly, looking concerned.

"They…they raped me, William. I was raped by each of them after they bit you." She told him softly and he looked furious. I was ready to keep him away from her until he calmed down, but, amazingly, he was still in control.

"We…we have to find those mother f – those bastards, and when they're found, I'll probably kill them." He said, his voice shaking with fury. I was amazed to find out he was still in control of himself.

"Don't worry, we will find them." Came Rowan's voice as the owner walked towards us.

"Oh yeah, this is my boyfriend, Rowan. Rowan, this is William and his wife, Natalie." I said and Rowan nodded at them.

"Pleased to meet you both." He said softly.

"As you probably heard Rowan, I wasn't the only victim of those vampires." I said to him.

_Natalie was as well. The two of them were attacked three days ago, and William was bitten, before Natalie was dragged away and raped._ I thought and Rowan nodded.

"I suppose that just makes the search for these vampires that much more important, before they find another woman to violate." He said softly and I indicated that William and Natalie follow us.

"We'd better introduce you to the others." I explained and William nodded, while Natalie looked nervous.

"A-are they part of your coven too, Kristen?" she asked me, her voice shaking.

"Yes. Don't worry, they won't hurt you." I replied and she nodded as the two of them followed my boyfriend and I.

Arriving near the family, we stopped while I walked up to Carlisle, who was talking to Esme.

"Carlisle?" I asked and he looked at me, concern evident in his expression.

"Are you alright Kristen?" he asked softly.

"I'll be alright Carlisle, but I think we should probably introduce Natalie and William to the others." I replied and he nodded.

"Alright, would you mind getting everyone here together?" He said and I nodded.

I quickly found Alice and Jasper, and both looked concernedly at me as I approached them.

"Are you alright?" Alice asked me softly.

"I'll be fine, but would you two mind going to Carlisle. There are a couple of people that we should probably introduce." I replied and both of them nodded, running towards Carlisle and Esme. I ran in a different direction, towards Rosalie, who was on the phone. She looked up as I approached. She hung up, before standing up, looking concerned.

"Before you ask Rose, I'll be fine." I said, before she could say anything. "But Carlisle would like you to go where he is so he can introduce a couple of people." I added and she nodded, running towards everyone else. It looked like Edward had already read my thoughts, because he was there, too.

As soon as I joined them, Carlisle cleared his throat.

"Alright, for you guys, this is Natalie and her husband William. For you two, this is my wife Esme, this is Alice and her husband Jasper, this is Rosalie and this is Edward." Carlisle said, introducing everyone. "I'd assume that you two know Rowan." He added and Natalie and William nodded.

"Yes. It's a pleasure to meet all of you." William said, smiling.

"The remainder of our coven are back at the house, but I'd like to ask you if you'd like to join us. I think, most especially for Natalie's safety, you should, at least until those three vampires have been found." Carlisle said and William looked at Natalie, swallowing. He was obviously unsure of whether or not to agree.

"We'll join your coven, but I think as long as we're able to keep Natalie safe." He finally said and Carlisle nodded understandingly.

"Okay, well, considering the time, you guys should get home; Kristen and I will get the car from the hospital and meet you at home. William, did you want to carry Natalie on your back and follow the others home, or did you want her to come with us, by car?" Carlisle said and William sighed.

"I'll carry Natalie, if that's alright with you." He said and we nodded, William swinging Natalie onto his back and following the remainder of the family at a run.

"Alright Kristen, we'd better get back to the hospital and sign out, and then drive home." Carlisle said to me and I nodded as we ran back in the direction of the hospital. "By the way, are you sure you're okay?" he asked, his brows pulling together in concern.

"Carlisle, don't worry, I'm fine. I will admit that I'm still struggling to cope with it, but I'm getting there." I replied and he placed his hand on my shoulder as we ran.

"Kristen, I truly am sorry that this happened to you. I shouldn't have taken my eye off you." He said softly to me.

"Carlisle, you don't need to apologise. You couldn't help it, so don't apologise." I told him. "I'll be fine, really. The only problem with finding these three men, is that we'll need to keep the women away to prevent this happening to anyone else." I told him and he nodded seriously.

"You're right Kristen, but first let's get home and decide where Natalie is going to sleep." He said to me just as we arrived at where the car was parked. I checked the time and discovered that it was now almost seven in the evening.

"Wow, we've been out for several hours." I said, a hint of surprise in my voice.

"Hmm." Carlisle said softly as I started the engine and drove out of the staff parking of the hospital and onto the main highway back home.


	48. Chapter 47: Oh Dear

_Chapter 47: Oh dear…_

Arriving home, we introduced the rest of the family to Natalie and William, before deciding that Kat and Anouk would share Jacinta's room, and William and Natalie would take the spare room that would be left from that move.

"Alright, well I suppose that means that we'll have to get an actual bed for Natalie to sleep in. You two girls can keep your daybeds, but in order to make room for them in your new room, Jacinta will probably need to rearrange her belongings. Are we all alright with this decision?" Carlisle asked everyone and we all nodded. "Good." He said as Kat and Anouk went upstairs to move their daybeds from one room to another.

Three weeks later, Carlisle and I had just arrived home from the hospital, when Natalie approached us, her head bowed slightly and her hands resting on her stomach. I realised with shock that there was a small lump underneath her hands.

"What's wrong Natalie?" Carlisle asked her, looking concerned. It appeared that he'd noticed her stomach as well.

"Carlisle, Kristen, I think I might be pregnant, but it can't be William's child." She said and my breath caught in my throat. I realised that one of those three men that had violated her must've gotten her pregnant. I looked at Carlisle and he nodded once at me, his face grave.

"Are you sure it's not William's child, Natalie?" I asked her, hoping she'd made a mistake.

"I'm positive, because the last time I was involved with him in that way was about four months ago. If I was pregnant with his child, I think I would've had signs before now." She said to me and I sighed, severely disappointed.

"This will mean trouble." I said to Carlisle.

"Yes, and not just because the child will be a half-vampire." He agreed. "Natalie, you now need to make a decision, and I understand that it's not going to be an easy decision." He told Natalie, who took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry Natalie, but you're going to need to make a decision about whether or not to keep the child. Carlisle and I both understand that it's a difficult decision for any mother to make." I explained softly to her and she sighed, looking down at her stomach.

Eventually she sighed and looked up at us.

"I'm sorry if the child will cause difficulties for the family, but I can't bring myself to abort the pregnancy." She said softly, tears in her eyes. I really couldn't blame her – I was still not over what had happened to me three weeks ago. Frankly, I didn't think I'd ever get through it.

"Kristen?" Carlisle's voice sounded distant. I looked up at him to see him looking concerned. "Are you alright? You were looking as though you were struggling with something. Is it...what happened three weeks ago?" he asked me softly and I sighed deeply, nodding slowly. My eyes prickled with tears that I knew would never come.

He took a deep breath, taking me into his arms and holding me close. I lay my head on his chest, just as we heard Esme approaching.

"You know that if Esme sees us we'll be in trouble." I commented and he chuckled, releasing his grip on me. I sighed softly, knowing I wasn't actually allowed to see him in this way, but I literally could not help it.

"I'm very sorry that you had to experience that, Kristen. You have no idea how sorry I am that I'd taken my eye off you." He said softly, just as Esme came around the corner.

"What's going on?" she asked us softly. In her eyes was a mixture of suspicion and concern.

"I was just remembering what had happened three weeks ago. Carlisle was comforting me." I explained and she nodded, the suspicion in her eyes disappearing as the concern increased.

"I'm sorry you had to deal with that, Kristen. No woman should have to go through that sort of abuse, even as a vampire." She said softly.

"Thanks Esme, but just remember that I wasn't the only one to go through that. Natalie had to as well, and now we think that she may be pregnant as a result." I said and Esme looked horrified, her hand covering her mouth and her eyes wide.

"A-are you sure the baby isn't William's?" she asked in barely a whisper, looking directly at Carlisle.

"Unfortunately, we were hoping the same thing, but no. The last time those two were involved in that way, according to Natalie, was over four months ago." Carlisle sighed, sadness only just visible in his golden eyes.

"Kristen, I promise that we will find those bastards and bring them to justice. And if I find them, you'd better hope Carlisle is with me, or I'll burn them personally." Came a male voice as Rowan walked around the corner, looking furious as he approached me. He stopped just in front of me and placed his hands on my shoulders, his expression becoming soft as he did so. "I know it's hurting you, and I also know that it'll keep hurting you. Just remember that according to the thoughts of the entire family, everyone's going to help you through it. Okay? I promise that I won't let anything else happen to you." He told me and I nodded, taking a deep breath to calm myself.

"None of us will. You know Rowan; I'm probably not going to stop you killing those three vampires. As much as I hate the idea of killing another living creature, there are some things that can't be helped. I'm probably going to be looking away, but I don't think that I'll stop you." Carlisle said and I saw the corners of Rowan's mouth turn up in a slight smile.

"But you do realise Carlisle, because they hurt Kristen, that I'll just make their deaths as slow and painful as possible before I burn them." He said and Carlisle sighed, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"I'm still not going to stop you. You might want to tell Emmett your plan though. He'll love it." Carlisle said and Rowan chuckled.

"Um Carlisle, last time I checked, vampires weren't quite living." I said and all of us started laughing.

"Well, we are breathing, are we not?" he asked.

"Yes, but none of us have heartbeats. So technically we're not actually _alive_, per say, but we're kind of half-alive. If that makes any sense at all." I said to him earnestly.

"Well, it doesn't make any sense to me, whatsoever." Rowan said to me, shrugging. "I'm still trying to figure out what you're going on about."

"It sort of makes sense to me. I'm at least aware of what you're talking about, but the way you said it is a bit confusing." Carlisle said.

"I'm personally still trying to figure out what you're going on about." Esme laughed.

"Don't worry about it, guys, I'm still confused about what I was going on about." I shrugged, before turning to Carlisle. "And Carlisle, I'd expect you to understand what I'm talking about, considering you are a doctor." I told him, and he smiled, shrugging.

_Um could you please follow me for a second?_ Rowan's thoughts entered my mind and I nodded, as both Carlisle and I followed him out of the house.

"Did Rowan ask you to follow him as well, Carlisle?" I asked Carlisle softly as we walked.

"Yes." He replied, looking confused.

Rowan eventually stopped in a deserted clearing half an hour later.

"Alright, I don't think anyone will find us here." He said and Carlisle and I looked at him, confused.

"What's going on, Rowan?" I asked him softly.

"Alright guys, I don't want to offend you two, and I brought you here so that Esme wouldn't overhear us. I've noticed that you two are closer than you would be otherwise. I'm not Jasper, so I may be wrong, but I think that there's something more than friendship going on between you, even if nothing's actually happening." He said softly and Carlisle and I looked briefly at each other. I sighed, deciding that he'd better find out.

"Alright Rowan, you're right in saying that there's something more than friendship going on between Carlisle and I. We were careful to make sure that nothing actually happened between us, but around the time that Peter was bitten, we'd realised that we had feelings for each other. I'm sorry Rowan; I should've said something to you. I just wasn't sure how you would react." I explained and he sighed, smiling slightly.

"I'm not accusing you, Kristen. And Carlisle, you don't need to worry, I'm not going to tell Esme. If you wanted to tell her, you'd have to do so yourself." Rowan said and Carlisle smiled slightly, nodding at him.

"Thank you Rowan." He said softly. "I'm sorry things turned out this way, Rowan, but there are only certain things I can control."

"And obviously Carlisle, who you do or don't fall in love with is one of those things you can't control." I said and he smiled slightly, shrugging.

"I understand Carlisle, don't worry about it. Personally I'm not surprised that you fell for her. As I said before, I'm not here to accuse or anything. I just want to know." Rowan said softly and Carlisle's smile grew. Upon seeing the smile, my breathing stopped.

"Are you alright, Kristen?" Rowan asked me and I forced myself to start breathing again.

"I-I'm fine Rowan. Don't worry." I replied softly.

"Okay guys, thanks for letting me know, but if you could continue making sure that nothing happens, I would greatly appreciate it." He said softly to us and we both nodded. "Thanks. Well, I'm going to hunt. You two can make your way home, I'll assume." He added, kissing my forehead briefly, before running into the distance.

"Carlisle, I still don't know why you'd want me, when you have Esme." I told Carlisle as we began walking back towards the house. He stopped, turning towards me.

"Why is it you don't see yourself clearly? You are beautiful, Kristen." He said, placing his hands on my shoulders. I sighed deeply, avoiding looking into his eyes.

"Well, it's because when I was about fifteen, I'd fallen for a boy, but he rejected me. When I went back and spoke to my mother, however, she told me that she wasn't surprised that he'd rejected me. I hiked. Why would any boy want me, and I wasn't beautiful, according to her. My father disagreed strongly, telling me not to listen to what my mother said, but I'd believed her since. While boys tend to look up to their fathers more, girls look up to their mother, and when a girl's mother says that to her, it sticks with her for life." I explained and Carlisle sighed and pulled me against his chest.

"Your father was right when he told you not to listen to your mother, Kristen. You are beautiful. And I don't see why a boy would care if you hiked. I know it'll be difficult to forget what your mother said, but I think that you should try to. She doesn't sound like she was the nicest woman." He said softly, and I sighed, looking up. His eyes met mine and I stopped breathing, turning away.

"We – we promised Rowan that nothing would happen." I stammered as I turned away, embarrassed.

"You're right, Kristen. We've got to be more careful." He agreed as we began walking again in the direction of home.

"I just hope...that you know that I love you." I said in barely more than a whisper and he smiled.

"I know. I love you too, Kristen, but you know as well as I do, that we can't act on our love. The words will just have to be enough." He said, moving closer to me and placing his hand on my shoulder.

"Regardless of how much I wish things weren't this complex." I added and the corner of his mouth turned up in a smile. Removing his hand from my shoulder, he reached down and took my hand, instead. He pressed his lips to it briefly, before dropping it and looking away. I smiled, wishing it were possible to express ourselves without betraying anyone.


	49. Chapter 48: Payback

_Chapter 48: Payback_

We arrived home to see Esme waiting near the back door, looking confused and slightly suspicious.

"What went on there?" she asked us.

"Rowan wanted to have a talk to the both of us." Carlisle replied.

"Why?" she asked, looking suspicious.

"He…he wanted to get an idea of what the three vampires that assaulted me looked like. It was so no other people got hurt." I lied quickly and smoothly.

"Then why didn't he ask only you to follow him?" she asked. I knew she was becoming suspicious that something was being kept from her.

"Because he knew that it was painful for me and that because Carlisle helped me before you guys got to the scene, I felt more comfortable with him being there to help me." I replied. She didn't have anything to say to that.

"He also wanted to know, if I was with her when the vampires attacked, why I didn't protect her." Carlisle added, playing along with my charade.

"I'm also intrigued as to why you didn't protect her." Esme asked him.

"I was keeping Natalie away while Kristen brought an animal for William, who'd just woken as a vampire. When the three vampires arrived, Natalie had tripped and fallen. I looked away to make sure she was alright, but by the time I looked back, they'd taken her, and William was struggling to figure out what had happened." Carlisle explained and Esme nodded. I took a deep breath and held it, attempting to get my mind off what had happened. Carlisle appeared to have noticed my expression and sighed, looking apologetic.

"Sorry Kristen, I didn't intend to make you remember it." He said softly and I smiled slightly at him, nodding.

"I'm alright Carlisle. Thank you, though." I said softly.

"Carlisle, if he wanted to ask the two of you about…_it_, why couldn't he say it in front of me?" Esme asked her husband. It was obvious that she knew that we were hiding something, and she was pushing us into telling her.

"I find it difficult to talk about the incident in front of other people, but because Carlisle was there, he knows what happened." I replied, edging away from the subject that would give anything away. If Carlisle thought she should know, he would tell her himself. I wasn't going to do the honours for him.

Esme nodded, defeated. There was nothing she could say to my reply. I walked away to check on the dogs and to find Natalie and William. I needed to talk to them. I found the dogs in the living room; Jumpy and Hera were lying together, Hera's head resting on her mate's back, both watching the pups, which were playing with Dalmatio and Reggie. I smiled as I turned away, just as a yelp reached my ears. I spun around and saw Hera licking Dingo's head gently, the pup quivering in obvious pain. Jumpy was standing opposite Reggie, a low growl escaping Jumpy's throat as Reggie crouched down, his ears pressed against his head and his tail between his legs. I knelt down by the injured pup, stroking Hera to let her know I wasn't going to hurt her son. She whined softly as she backed away from Dingo.

"It's okay Hera." I said softly as I gently patted her head. At that moment, Peter appeared next to me, kneeling next to the pup.

"What happened to him?" he asked me softly.

"I'm not sure. Dalmatio and Reggie were playing with them, and I turned away, when Dingo yelped, obviously with pain. Jumpy was facing Reggie, so obviously Reggie had accidentally injured Dingo. I didn't see how." I explained and he nodded, gently pressing on certain points on the animal's side. "Is he okay?" I asked, concerned that Dingo was still whimpering. I could see the pup's whimpers distressing Hera, who was continually approaching, before backing off.

"He'll be okay I think, but you might want to calm Hera down. Dingo's whimpers are obviously distressing her." Peter replied, not looking up from the pup. I stood up and approached Hera, stroking her head gently to calm her. As I stroked the dog, I watched Peter tend to the pup. I saw him expertly run his hands over Dingo's side, pressing on a few points as he did so.

_Definitely a vet. He knows what he's doing._ I thought, just as Peter looked up. Dingo was no longer whimpering, but he was lying still, looking up at his mother.

"I think he wants his mother." Peter said, smirking and I allowed Hera to approach her son.

"Is he alright?" I asked, walking over and kneeling next to them.

"He's fine, Kristen. Don't worry." He said and I smiled slightly.

"Did you figure out what was wrong with him?" I asked and he smiled.

"Yes, I did. All Reggie managed to do to him was cause him to pull a muscle, causing him pain. His muscles were obviously stiff to begin with, and Reggie must've excited him a bit much and caused him to pull a muscle. All I had to do was massage the muscle a bit to relax it, and he should be fine in an hour or two." Peter replied and I smiled.

"Thank you Peter." I said, and he smiled in return.

"No problems Kristen." He said as I got to my feet and headed up the stairs and towards the room Natalie and William shared. Hopefully I'd find them there, and not involved in anything too extravagant.

I knocked and the door opened to reveal Natalie standing in the doorway, thankfully fully clothed. There was no sign of William in the room, as far as I could tell.

"Hi Kristen. Is there a problem?" she asked and I shook my head.

"No, there's no problem. I just need to talk to you." I said and she nodded, inviting me inside. We sat opposite each other.

"What's wrong Kristen?" she asked.

"Um...I need to ask you how much of the incident you actually remember. Rowan's planning on finding the three vampires, and I want to make sure there isn't anything I should know that may put his life at risk." I explained and she sighed.

"Well, I wouldn't really know. I mean, I am only human. All I know is that they're inseparable, and they'll work together. I wouldn't let Rowan go alone, if I were you. And I'd also make sure that only the men go find them. We both know what may happen if a woman goes." She explained and I shuddered. I did know what would probably happen if a woman were to go.

"We will keep the other women away, but I'll be going with them, because I know what they look like." I said and she looked concerned.

"Are you sure you'll be okay? I mean, why not have William go, instead? He knows what they look like just as much as you do." She suggested, but I shook my head.

"William will be staying here to look after you." I said seriously. "He's got the best self-control of any newborn vampire that I've ever seen. He's better off here." I explained and she nodded, resigning.

"I understand. I'm just worried that something could happen to you. I wanted to die, because I thought I'd lost William, and then you showed up and gave me hope. Carlisle as well, but mainly you. If you hadn't come to my aid, I probably wouldn't be alive, let alone found William." She said and I smiled.

"It wasn't really much, but I am glad I found you. It's good to have someone else who knows what I'm going through at the moment. We're both able to help each other through it." I said and she nodded, smiling.

"You're right." She said.

"Anyway, thanks for letting me know. I'll need to talk to William, though, to get his point of view. Do you know where I might find him?" I asked her and she tilted her head to one side.

"Um I think he's gone hunting. I'm not sure." She said and I nodded, thanking her as I left the room, running downstairs and out into the forest.

It didn't take long for me to catch William's scent, and I began following it at a sprint, finding him a minute later, with his teeth in a kangaroo's throat.

_Natalie was right; he has gone hunting._ I thought to myself, just as William looked up, assuming a defensive position. He straightened up when he realised it was me.

"Hi Kristen. Can I help you with something?" he asked me and I smiled.

"Not really, I just need to talk to you. Are you done hunting?" I asked him and he nodded.

"Yeah, what was it you wanted to talk about?" he asked me and I smiled.

"I just wanted to ask you if you know anything about the three vampires that attacked you. Rowan's planning on finding them, and I want to make sure that he'll be alright. Natalie's already told me that they're pretty much inseparable and will work together, and to make sure that there aren't any women around. Do you know anything else that may help?" I asked.

"I think that's pretty much all you'll need to know. They are fairly strong, however, so I'd make sure that no less than four people go along with him. They do use their environment to their advantage a fair bit, which makes them fairly formidable. Other than that, he should be alright." He explained and I smiled, thanking him. I began running back in the direction of home, when Carlisle caught up to me, looking worried.

"What's wrong Carlisle?" I asked him, concerned.

"Alice's seen that the three vampires are coming here. They've found the scents of the women and are following them." He said and I froze for a second.

"We'll need to intercept them halfway. We'll go find Rowan and some of the others. I've decided that I'll go with you, but William will stay behind." I said, repeating what I found out. Carlisle sighed, placing his hands on my shoulders.

"I can't let you come with us, Kristen. I need you to stay with the family." He said to me softly, but I shook my head.

"Carlisle, I'm coming." I said firmly and he sighed, a pained expression on his face.

"Kristen." He groaned. "I don't want anything else to happen to you." He said softly.

"Carlisle, don't worry. Nothing else will happen to me. I refuse to just stand back and watch. And besides, I know that you and Rowan won't let anything happen to me. Remember that Rowan can hear their thoughts, so he'll know when they're going to attack me." I said and he sighed. There was pain evident in his eyes and my heart broke. It killed me to see him in pain. "Carlisle, just please trust me. I'll be fine." I said and he took a deep breath, holding it for a moment before he released it slowly.

"Kristen, I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you. I love you." He whispered and I sighed. It was becoming difficult to resist him.

"Carlisle, nothing will happen to me – I promise. I can defend myself, especially now that I know what they're capable of. Please don't worry about me." I said and he sighed deeply, looking around and pulling me into his arms.

"Kristen, I just don't like the idea of you getting hurt." He said to me and I looked up, the temptation to kiss him becoming too much. I quickly pressed my lips against his, before I pulled away, turning to face the other way.

"I won't get hurt, Carlisle. I promise that I won't let myself get hurt. Please Carlisle; I want to fight alongside you." I said and he I heard him sigh deeply.

"Kristen, I'll allow you to accompany us, but I'm not letting you out of my sight until we've dealt with them. Do you understand me?" he asked, resigning.

"I understand Carlisle. Thank you." I replied, finally turning back to face him. He was still looking pained. I turned away again, as the temptation to kiss him again was becoming too difficult to resist. I needed to clear my head. "I'm going to find Rowan and let him know what we've decided." I told him, sprinting into the distance.

I breathed deeply while I ran, the clean air clearing my lungs and head of Carlisle's scent. I was now completely in control of myself, at least until he caught up with me.

I found Rowan a few minutes later, pulling him into a hug. He hugged me in return, surprised.

"Is everything alright, Kristen?" he asked me softly and I sighed deeply.

"I'm alright. I just needed a hug." I said, then deciding that I'd better tell him that I'd lost control and kissed Carlisle. "By the way Rowan...I know you told Carlisle and I to make sure that nothing happened...but –"

"Let me guess, you lost control and something actually happened?" he asked me, interrupting me and I sighed, burying my face into his chest.

"Um yeah. Don't worry it's not like we had sex or anything like that. But I did lose control and kiss him. I'm sorry." I replied and he sighed, kissing my forehead.

"I forgive you, Kristen. I – I just hope that nothing else happens between you. I'm still your boyfriend, remember?" he said and I nodded slowly.

"I know, Rowan. I just couldn't help it." I said, just as Carlisle caught up to us.

"Rowan, I'm not sure if Kristen's told you or not, but Alice's seen that the three vampires that attacked Kristen are now on their way. Apparently they've caught the scents of the women and are following them." He explained and Rowan looked horrified.

"She didn't tell me, but thank you Carlisle." He replied and Carlisle nodded once.

"By the way Rowan, Carlisle has agreed to allow me to accompany the two of you in fighting these vampires, but he's not letting me out of his sight." I told my boyfriend and he sighed.

"I'm not sure that was the best idea, Carlisle, but as long as we can keep her safe, I'm okay with it." He said and Carlisle sighed.

"Sorry Rowan. She convinced me to allow her." Carlisle replied and Rowan smirked.

"Was it the kiss that convinced you?" he asked and Carlisle looked surprised.

"Did you see it, or something?" Carlisle asked him and Rowan chuckled, shaking his head.

"No, but Kristen told me that she'd kissed you." He told Carlisle, who looked somewhat relieved.

"Well, I should probably admit that the kiss did play a part in convincing me. Other than that, I'm sure you've noticed how persuasive her eyes can be." Carlisle said and Rowan smiled, nodding.

"Believe me; I know how persuasive her eyes can be. I don't she realises it, though." He replied, still smiling slightly.

"Is there anything that we should know before we fight with these vampires?" Carlisle asked me.

"Um, they'll all work together as a team, which I'm sure you've figured out already, Carlisle. And William told me not to have any less than four people accompany Rowan. We should also try to keep the other women away. I think we all know what the consequences will be if we don't." I explained and both men nodded gravely.

"Rowan, you might want to get the family together. Have them meet in the kitchen." Carlisle told Rowan and he nodded.

"Done." He said shortly afterwards and we all sprinted to the house, meeting Esme, Alice and Jasper, who were already in the kitchen.

The remainder of the family assembled in the kitchen shortly afterwards, looking confused.

"Alright guys, Alice has seen that the three vampires that had attacked William, Natalie and Kristen are on their way. Alice do you want to explain your vision to the others?" Carlisle asked Alice and she nodded gravely.

"I saw them running towards this house, following a scent left behind by one of the women living in this house. We can all guess what it is they want." Alice said and everyone nodded. Everyone was looking worried. Rowan had me in his arms; Carlisle had his hand tight on Esme's shoulder; Jasper had both his hands on Alice's shoulders; Edward was holding Bella to his chest; William had Natalie's hand in his; Emmett had his arms tight around Rosalie, and the single men had subconsciously herded the single women together, and were standing around them.

"Alright, what we've decided is to intercept them halfway. Alice, do you know if they're expecting a large amount of men?" Carlisle asked Alice and she shook her head.

"I think all they're expecting is you and William. I can't be sure, though." She told him and he nodded, smiling slightly.

"That's good to hear. Okay, we're all going to have to figure out who will be coming with us, and who will stay to defend the women, should the three of them manage to get past us."

"Carlisle, I don't think it's a good idea to allow Kristen to accompany you. I mean, remember what happened last time?" Edward said to Carlisle, who nodded.

"I know, but she persuaded Rowan and I to allow her to come." Carlisle replied, sighing. "Rowan, you'll also accompany us; Jasper, could you please also accompany us; Emmett, Sero and Peter, could I also ask you to accompany us. The remainder of you please stay behind to defend the women, should the three vampires get past us." He said and Emmett, Jasper, Sero, Peter, Rowan and I stepped forward.

"Alice, do you see how long we have?" I asked Alice.

"Ten minutes before they get to the house. Get me a pen and paper and I'll draw you a map of the route I can see them taking." Alice replied and Jasper soon returned with a pen and paper, handing them to Alice.

I could see that she was drawing a quick sketch of the house and surrounding forest, drawing a dotted line to show the route the three vampires were taking to the house. "I suggest you intercept them...here." she told Carlisle, tapping on a point on the paper, showing a small clearing. Carlisle nodded slowly.

"Sounds good Alice. Alright guys, let's get going, before they find us first." Carlisle said and Rowan, Jasper, Emmett, Sero, Peter and I all followed him out of the house, running in the direction of the clearing.

Arriving in the clearing, five minutes later, we saw the three vampires run into the clearing shortly afterwards. They stopped running, seeing the seven of us and taking a step closer together. It was obvious who the leader was. The blonde, Adam was giving off the vibes of a leader. The other two, Phil and Troy, flanked either side of him, still a step behind him. Adam looked around at us, smirking when he saw me among the men.

"So, lady, ya managed to get together an army of men? I can smell another woman around here, so where is she?" Adam asked and we all snarled. The sound reverberated off the surrounding trees, making it sound louder than it actually was. "So there is another? Why don't ya take me to 'er? I promise that these two won't go anywhere near 'er." He said with false pleasantness

"You will not go anywhere past us." Jasper spat, his voice quivering with obvious anger.

"Okay, how 'bout we make a negotiation? Since the burly man has the woman's scent all over 'im, how about he fights me, and if he wins, we leave the lady alone. If I win, though, I get 'er. How does that sound?" Adam suggested and Emmett snarled. It was obvious to all of us that they'd been following Rosalie's scent.

Emmett leaned further forward in his defensive crouch, his teeth bared.

"I'll kill you if you _dare_ threaten my wife again!" he snarled and Adam smiled, beckoning Emmett to attack. I knew what would happen if Emmett attacked. Phil and Troy would both attack Emmett, and we'd lose a member of this family. We couldn't risk it.

"Emmett, don't attack! They'll all kill you if you do!" I told him, but he leaned even further forward, tensing to attack Adam. "Carlisle! Help me hold him back!" I told Carlisle, who nodded, both of us grabbing Emmett's arms and holding him back with all of our strength. I could feel Emmett's enormous muscles relaxing under my grasp, and I could tell Adam could see it. His smile turned into a grimace and a growl tore up his throat.

"Ya don' think he and I should fight for the female?" he asked me, abandoning his false pleasantries.

"I see through your filthy plan, Adam." I snarled and he shrugged.

"Maybe I could find another way to convince ya." He said, taking a step towards me, his cronies right behind him. At that point, everyone snarled, Rowan appearing in front of me, leaning forward in a defensive crouch. "So we've found your mate, 'ave we lady?" Adam asked me and I snarled again. I let go of Emmett, and all of us leapt at the three of them.

It appeared William and Natalie were right when they said that the three of them work together and use their surroundings to their advantage. Even with my telekinetic ability and the strength of seven vampires at our disposal, we soon discovered that we were still at a disadvantage. The vampires had managed to separate Peter from our group, and as he hadn't been taught how to fight properly, he was still using his instincts. That's where the problem lay, as the vampires obviously knew how to deal with newborns.

One of them threw Peter away, tearing his arm off in the meantime, throwing it in the opposite direction.

"Kristen, go help Peter." Carlisle whispered to me and I nodded, running away from the fight and towards where Peter's arm had landed. Picking it up, I sprinted around the outskirts of the clearing towards Peter.

"Here Peter. Just a tip when fighting, don't just trust your instincts, as these vampires have obviously learnt how to deal with newborns that use their instincts to fight. Use your speed first, not your strength. Because you've only been a vampire for less than a year, you're faster and stronger than them, but don't just go in for a head-on attack, or they'll be able to get you down. Keep dodging and weaving their attacks until you can get an attack in. And go for the throat. If you can take their head off, they won't be able to move. But they won't be dead until they're burned in a fire." I told him and he nodded. His arm had reattached itself and he stood up to rejoin the fight. "Go rejoin the fight, I'll get a fire started." I said and he sprinted back into the fray. I started a fire, before also rejoining the fight. I helped Rowan and Carlisle take down Troy. I tore his head off, throwing it away and burning it while Rowan carried the body and threw it into the fire after the head. Now there were only two left. However, these two had obviously received more training than Troy, and were therefore harder to get down. While I was fighting Adam, I heard Rowan yell. I looked over to see that Phil had pushed him into the fire I'd made. I screamed as I sprinted to help Rowan out of the fire, but he was too far in. I stood on my toes and reached in, my arm burning as I did so, and I could tell I was falling forward. Suddenly, I felt strong arms grab me around the waist and drag me away from the flames. I struggled hard, hearing Rowan's dying screams, but those arms wouldn't loosen their grip. I tripped over my own feet and fell backwards, landing on the ground, as Rowan's screams died away. I stopped fighting whoever was holding me, sobbing dry sobs.

"I'm sorry Kristen. I know you wanted to save him, and believe me I wanted to as well, but there wasn't anything we could do." I heard Carlisle's voice consoling me nearby and I realised that it had been him that had pulled me away. I curled up; clutching my chest where it felt like my heart had just been ripped out, leaving an empty wound. I couldn't breathe, but I knew I didn't need to. Rowan was dead – there was nothing else to it.

It suddenly became clear that because Phil had killed him, he should die. I got to my feet, snarling as I leapt at Phil, fighting harder than ever, fury flowing through my body like acid. My grief at Rowan's death had turned into fury, but I also knew that it wouldn't last. Eventually, after the two remaining vampires were dead, the fury would die down, and I'd be left with an empty space in the centre of my chest.

All of a sudden, in the middle of the fight, Adam disappeared. As we were so busy taking Phil down, none of us noticed.

When Phil was dead, however, that was when we realised that Adam was nowhere to be seen.

"His scent is leading towards the house. We may not catch up to him in time, he's too far ahead." Sero said, sniffing the air as we ran.

"I don't care if he's that far ahead that we won't be able to catch up to him in time, we'd still be better off trying." Jasper said the growl audible in his voice.

We managed to find Adam a minute later, however, fighting with Alice. Alice was continually dodging his attacks, laughing, while he was looking increasingly frustrated.

"Missed me again." Alice laughed when she dodged one of his attacks. "You guys took your time." She said to us as she continued to dance out of reach of Adam's attacks. "I've been stalling him for the last ten minutes." She said, just as Adam managed to grab onto her wrist, dragging her towards him. He held her there, his teeth at her throat.

"Any of ya move one muscle, and she dies." He said to us, and I prepared to use telekinesis to pull Alice to safety and Adam to his death. "And lady, if ya try usin' that telekinetic ability ya have, she dies." He added to me and I inhaled deeply, glaring at him.

It appeared, however, that Alice didn't need our help, as she turned her head and bit Adam's throat, forcing him to let go of her, before she kneed him hard in the nether regions. He fell to the ground; his hands clutching his groin in obvious pain and his mouth open in a silent scream. I never actually realised that part was still that sensitive on a vampire as it was on a human. I supposed that it didn't help that it _was_ a vampire that hit him there.

With Adam immobilised with pain, we moved quickly, Alice starting a fire while I lifted him up and threw him into the flames.

"Are the others dead?" Alice asked and we nodded as Jasper pulled her into his arms in relief.

"I think we should get back home." Carlisle said to us and we followed him, relieved that the ordeal was over. At least, it was for most of us. For me, it had just begun.


	50. Chapter 49: After Effects

_Chapter 49: After effects_

Arriving at home shortly afterwards, Emmett pulled Rosalie into his arms and Carlisle did the same with Esme. Sero had his hand on my shoulder and was holding it fairly tightly, and Jasper still had Alice in his arms. Peter stood a little further back.

"Is everybody okay?" Jacinta asked us and we sighed, everyone looking in my direction.

"Where's Rowan?" Matthew asked us softly, looking around.

"Unfortunately, he was killed. He was thrown into the fire, and I tried to get him out, but he was so far in that Carlisle had to grab me to prevent me falling in." I said in no more than a whisper, my voice breaking.

"Kristen, if you show me where the fire was, I'll see if I can bring him back for you." Matthew said softly, walking towards me.

"Did you manage to find out who they were following?" Esme asked from Carlisle's arms.

"Yes. They were actually following Rosalie's scent. And their leader had almost convinced Emmett to attack him, so that the three of them could take him down together." Carlisle replied and Rosalie looked at him, her expression shocked.

"They were coming after...me?" she asked and he nodded gravely. I could see Emmett tighten his grip on her and sighed. Frankly, I couldn't blame him. After what happened to me, it's obvious that the same could quite easily have happened to every other woman living in this house.

"Come Kristen; let's go see if he's able to be brought back." Matthew said softly to me. I sighed, nodding. Sero still didn't take his hand from my shoulder.

"I'll come too, just in case it doesn't work." He said and Matthew nodded. Together we sprinted out of the house and I retraced our steps to where Rowan had been killed. The fire had been put out, but there was still a burnt patch of grass where it had been. There were a few ashes around, and I knew that one lot of them was Rowan.

"That was where the fire was. Rowan was killed in there." I whispered, my chest throbbing with pain as I spoke. Sero, who still had his hand on my shoulder, tightened his grip further.

Matthew stood near the burnt patch, closed his eyes and stood completely still. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes. Nothing had happened. He tried again, but still nothing.

"Kristen, how long ago was he killed?" he asked me, turning to me. I looked at my watch. It was now almost an hour since he'd been killed.

"Almost an hour ago." I replied, my voice cracking slightly as I spoke. Matthew sighed.

"I'm sorry, but he's obviously too far gone for my ability to do any good. I have about half an hour after the person or animal dies before I can no longer bring them back." He said softly and I nodded, falling to my knees with my head in my hands. I sobbed dry sobs, my emotional wound reopening. "I'm so sorry Kristen. I did try." He whispered, kneeling next to me and placing his hand on my shoulder. I could feel Sero gently rubbing my back with his hand and I struggled to get my emotions under a bit more control.

"Just let it out Kristen. Don't hold it in; it's not good for you." Sero said softly and I sighed, just as a couple more sobs broke through.

Arriving back home about half an hour later, Carlisle approached me, looking sympathetic.

"Is she okay?" he asked Sero and Matthew.

"I think she'll be okay eventually, but I think it may take a couple of months before I'd say she'll be up to going back to work." Sero replied softly, his hand tight on my shoulder once again.

"I thought that may be the case. Kristen, I've called the hospital and explained to the manager basically what had happened, and he agreed to give you a couple of months mourning leave. During that time, I think it might be an idea if you try to sort yourself out enough to be able to handle work." Carlisle said to me softly and I nodded, keeping my eyes downwards. I refused to talk, because the pain I felt at the moment would be audible in my voice.

"Should I take her up to her room?" Sero asked Carlisle softly, sounding concerned.

"That sounds like a good idea. Kristen, just remember that if ever you need some help or you feel you need to talk about it, we're all here for you." Carlisle said and I nodded again as Sero led me slowly up the stairs and onto the top floor, his hand just below my shoulder blades. He led me into my room, sitting me on the bed and sitting next to me, moving his hand to my shoulder.

"I know you're in pain Kristen. I'll allow you some time to yourself, but if you ever need to talk, all you have to do is give me a yell and I'll be here. I promise." He said softly, standing up again and walking towards the door, before he stopped, turning to face me. "And don't worry, we'll all make sure the children are fed and put to bed by nine." He added and I nodded, one corner of my mouth turning up briefly as a way of thanking him. He smiled slightly in return, before walking out of the room, closing the door after him.

Approximately a month later, I walked out of my room, mainly to make sure the children were okay. I wasn't sure if any of the family had explained to them that their father wouldn't be coming back. I looked at the time. It was almost nine. I walked into their room to see if they were in there, but the room was empty. Just as I went to leave, however, the door opened and Sero walked in with both children behind him.

"Are you alright, Kristen?" he asked me softly.

"I suppose I'm getting there. I just wanted to make sure the kids were okay." I replied, just as Krystal and Devlin ran towards me, both hugging me.

"Are you okay Mum?" Krystal asked me as I hugged both in return.

"I'll be okay Krystal." I assured her, before looking up again at Sero. "Did you explain to them that...he's not coming back?" I asked him and he sighed.

"They did ask where he was, but I wasn't sure if you wanted to tell them yourself. I told them that he still loved them, but couldn't be here. I told them to ask you for the details." He replied softly and I sighed.

"We'll tell them together." I said and he nodded. I sat the twins on Devlin's bed, sitting between them. Sero sat on Krystal's bed on the other side of the room. I sighed, placing my arms around the children and drawing them closer to my sides.

"What's going on Mum?" Devlin asked, looking confused, but concerned.

"Guys, what did Sero explain to you when you asked where your Dad went?" I asked them softly.

"Uncle Sero said that Dad had to go and couldn't be here anymore, but that Dad still loved us." Devlin replied softly.

"There's a reason why your father isn't here guys. Sero was right when he said that your dad still loves you. I'm sorry guys, but your father won't be coming back. He died." I said softly, my voice breaking as I did so. Krystal and Devlin looked shocked and grief stricken. I could see tears in their eyes and I pulled them gently closer, holding them close to me.

"I'm sorry guys. Just remember that even though he's not here in person, he's still watching over you, and he still loves you. He's just in Heaven, that's all." Sero said softly and the twins nodded. "But your mum's still here for you, and so is everyone else. We all want to help you." He added, leaning forward slightly, his elbows resting on his knees. I looked at the time.

"It's after nine o'clock guys. I think it's time you two got to bed. We'll see you in the morning." I told the children and they nodded, Sero and I standing up as both kids got into their respective beds. I kissed them each on the forehead, before heading for the door. I had my hand on the light switch to turn off the light as I turned back to face them. "Goodnight guys." I said softly, turning off the light.

"Goodnight Mum. Goodnight Uncle Sero." The twins chorused and I smiled slightly as I closed the door. Sero and I walked towards the stairs together.

"By the way Sero, since when did you become 'Uncle Sero'?" I asked him and he chuckled.

"They'd actually started calling me that when you'd disappeared for a month and their father never returned. I'm not completely sure, but I think I've almost become like a second father figure to them." He replied and I nodded, smiling slightly, despite my grief.

"It's good, though. They're still so young that they need a father figure." I said and he smiled, his hand on my shoulder.

"Are you sure you're okay, Kristen?" he asked me and I took a deep breath, nodding slowly.

"Sort of. It's still very difficult, and will be for a long while, but...I'm getting there." I replied.

"That's good. Kristen, it kills me to see you in pain. I want to help you out." He said nervously, turning his head so he was facing away. I smiled slightly.

"Thank you, Sero. It means a lot to me." I said, placing my hand on his shoulder. He looked back at me, smiling slightly. He took my hand from his shoulder, holding it in his gently, before he dropped it.

Sero had helped me get through my grief associated with Rowan's death over the last month before I was to return to work. I was beginning to believe that there was some chemistry between the two of us. I refused to let it mean anything, however, as it was way too soon after Rowan had been killed. He would very rarely let me out of his sight, and that didn't bother me, because I knew he was worried about me. He was also offering me words of comfort whenever it seemed I was beginning to be overcome with emotion. He was never anything but gentle whenever he spoke to me or placed his hand on my shoulder. And for that, I was pleased. I could tell he was very careful not to say anything that would cause the pain I felt to increase. He almost seemed to fill up the hole in my chest.

Carlisle, too, was very gentle whenever he spoke to me. Every evening when he returned home from the hospital, he'd always check to make sure I was coping. Everyone was being so supportive of my time of difficulty that I felt I wouldn't have coped in any other family, regardless of whether I was in a family of humans or a coven of vampires.

I could, however, see my grief affecting Jasper in a more negative way. Because he was so in tune with everyone's emotions, whenever I was in the same room as him, I could see his face twist with pain. As a result, I tried to keep away from him as much as possible at least until the pain eased in me. That way, it would be easier for him.

Sero and I were also always making sure the twins were coping. I knew that it was more difficult for them, because Rowan was their father. It reminded me of when I'd lost my father. I'd spent almost a year in deep depression, because I'd had no one to help me. I'd had to learn to deal with it myself. Krystal and Devlin, however, had me to help them, along with Sero and the rest of the family as well.

I could tell that Matthew was feeling guilty that he was unable to bring Rowan back, and I'd told him several times not to beat himself up, that it wasn't his fault. My words seemed to have very little effect, however. He was still blaming himself. I didn't though. I blamed Phil for Rowan's death. No one else was in any way responsible. I knew that Matthew had done everything he could to help, but it just wasn't enough. It was just Rowan's time to go. To be completely honest, Rowan's time was probably up when he'd been thrown into the fireplace of his house on the night that he'd been turned – I'd just extended his life by biting him. Now it was definitely his time. Religious people would say that God had better things for him, but I wasn't religious, so I just believed that his time had come.

"Kristen, are you alright? Were you thinking about him again?" I heard Sero's voice and I turned to look at him, sighing. It was now Sunday, a day before I was due to start at the hospital again.

"Yeah. I can't help it, to be honest." I replied and he sighed.

"I know. I'm sorry that we couldn't save him. I really am." He said softly, placing his hand on my shoulder. I could see pain in his eyes. I remembered when he'd said a month ago that it killed him to see me in pain. I sighed. I was now almost convinced that he had feelings for me. Why, though?

"_Your father was right when he'd told you not to listen to your mother, Kristen. You are beautiful. And I don't see why a boy would care if you hiked. I know it'll be difficult to forget what your mother said, but I think that you should try to. She doesn't sound like she was the nicest woman."_

Carlisle's words from a couple of months ago rang in my ears as though he was right next to me saying them to me. I realised that Sero must share Carlisle's opinion that I was beautiful and attractive. I still didn't know why they saw me that way, but I wasn't about to argue. I mean, Sero was an attractive man, and if the circumstances were different, I would probably be in his arms at the moment. It was just too soon since Rowan had gone for me to find love again. Then I remembered that I still loved Carlisle. That was a problem. Okay, it was too soon to find love that _wouldn't_ be considered to be an affair. Maybe there could be something between Sero and I a bit further into the future, but just not now. I mean, we had all of eternity, right?

When I didn't answer him, Sero moved his hand from my shoulder, placing his arm around both of my shoulders. Yup, he had feelings for me.

"Are you alright Kristen?" he asked me softly. I sighed, leaning against him and resting my head on his shoulder. Oops, I forgot that it was too soon. I supposed I couldn't change the fact that I was falling for him. I just needed to remember to avoid doing anything that would cause me to feel as though I was replacing Rowan. _That_ would kill me, I could guarantee it.

"I'll be okay Sero. I was just thinking. I do need to ask you, though: are you in love with me? I mean, your body language tells me that you are, and I think you telling me a month ago that it kills you to see me in pain just sealed the deal." I said softly and I heard his breathing falter for a second and he swallowed hard.

"I know it's too soon for you, but I will admit that I have. I try to hide it as much as possible to avoid hurting you, but I guess I can't hide it forever." He admitted softly and I sighed deeply. Oh dear, this would be a problem.

"I suppose that I should admit that I'm falling for you." I whispered as I shuffled slightly closer to him on the sofa. I avoided looking at him, and I felt him press his lips to my hair gently, tightening his grip on my shoulders slightly.

_Too fast, you moron!_ A small voice in my head shrieked and I sighed, putting it to the back of my mind. This moment was a bit too precious for me to waste. There wasn't anything I needed to worry about; it was after midnight – the kids had already been fed and sent to bed. Everyone else was off doing their own thing. We were completely alone, and I wanted to keep it that way for a while. Besides, I was due at the hospital in about eight hours. I wanted to make the most of this without doing anything before it was necessary. Kissing him was out of the question at the moment. We would just have to make do with this.

"Kristen, time to get ready for work." I could hear Carlisle's voice from the top of the stairs after a while and I looked at my watch. It was now almost seven. I sighed, standing up and shaking Sero's arm from my shoulders.

"Okay, thank you Carlisle." I replied, walking towards the stairs.

"I suppose I'd better get ready to head to the clinic." Sero said softly, sighing as he followed me up to the top floor. I'd forgotten that Peter had taught him what he needed to know, and gotten him a job at the clinic. He headed into his room, and I headed into my room, taking my uniform from my wardrobe, and taking them into the bathroom. I placed them down, getting undressed and into the shower. The warm water soothed me, even though it probably would've done a better job if I were human.

I was out of the shower within ten minutes, dressing quickly and heading out of the room, my towel wrapped around my hair.

With that I walked into the kids' room to check they were still asleep. They were sleeping soundly and I smiled, closing their door slowly and heading downstairs. I grabbed the towel from around my hair and used it to rub my hair dry, heading upstairs to put the towel in the laundry basket in my room and brush my hair. My hair was a huge mess now, as it always was after a shower, even though I was a vampire. I brushed it and put it into its usual ponytail style. I knew that most female vampires left their hair down, but I'd always put mine into a ponytail. It was just a habit I'd retained from my previous human life. And besides, I worked at the hospital, so I was required to have it tied back.

Carlisle and I drove to the hospital in my car at about seven thirty, arriving by about eight. We signed in and headed up to our office. We would be told if we were needed for anything.


	51. Chapter 50: More Children

_Chapter 50:More Children_

About three months after I'd gone off my mourning leave, while Carlisle and I were at work at the hospital, we received a phone call from Natalie.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Kristen, its Natalie. I'm not completely sure, but I think something's wrong with the baby." I heard her answer, sounding panicked. Carlisle looked up, looking concerned.

"What do you mean?" I asked her. "Can you explain to me what's going on with the baby?" I clarified.

"Um, I'd say that it's kicking, except that it doesn't actually feel like that. There's definitely a lot of movement, but – ouch! I'm not sure, but do half-vampire babies have teeth?" she asked me, pain obvious in her voice and I looked at Carlisle. He and I were obviously thinking the same thing.

"Yes. What did it do?" I asked and I heard her exclaim in pain once again.

"I think it bit me. Is that actually possible?" she asked me and I heard Carlisle swear.

"This isn't a good sign. Natalie, sit tight and make sure there are no other vampires around. Carlisle and I are on our way." I told her.

"Do I have to keep William out, too?" she asked. I could tell she wasn't happy about that.

"I'm sorry Natalie, but I fear there could be a lot of blood involved, and we don't want to push him over the edge. I know that he's got the best self-control I've ever seen in a newborn, but he's still not immune to the scent of fresh blood. We'll be home soon." I told her.

"Okay, I'll – ouch – see you then." She said, hanging up.

"I think that baby is trying to force its way out. We have to hurry." Carlisle said and I nodded. We quickly signed out, before sprinting all the way home, leaving my car at the hospital. There was no time to drive. We'd pick up the car later.

We arrived home about a minute later, sprinting upstairs and into Natalie's room. She was in there, her hands resting on her enormous balloon of a stomach. She was very pale and the veins in her throat were protruding. It was obvious she was in pain.

"Kristen, could you please close the door?" Carlisle asked me and I nodded, doing as he asked.

"What do you think is wrong?" she asked us and I sighed.

"We think that baby may be trying to force its way out of your body." I said and she looked at me.

"How can you tell?" she asked.

"Half-vampires are not born the way human babies are. They actually force their way out their mothers by biting through the amniotic membrane and the uterus. They effectively eat their way out." Carlisle explained. "Now, we're going to need you to lie down. I'm going to have to anaesthetise you." He told her and she did as she was told. He sighed, placing a mask over her mouth and nose.

"Just breathe normally. You'll be alright." I told her and I heard her breathing even out, although her heart rate was still elevated slightly.

It didn't take long until she was unconscious, but still breathing normally.

"Kristen, I'd make the cut now, if I were you." Carlisle told me and I nodded. I used the scalpel to cut a vertical line on her lower abdomen while Carlisle kept tabs on her heart and breathing. Blood spewed out, and I was glad we'd made sure there were no other vampires around.

Eventually, I got to the solid amniotic membrane and, putting my strength into the scalpel, I cut through it, exposing the baby.

"Kristen, you might want to get the child out of her and stitch up her wound; her heart is weakening." Carlisle warned me and I knew he was right. I could hear it too. I quickly, but carefully, took the child from the womb, realising there was something different about the child.

Deciding I'd think about it after the surgery was done with; I handed it to Carlisle and stitched up the wound.

When I was done, Carlisle removed the mask from her mouth and nose, before swearing as he looked at the child.

"Conjoined?" he asked softly and I looked at the child and realised he was right.

There were two children, but they were joined by the hip and shoulder, the join extending down the arm to about the wrist.

"We're going to need to separate them." I told him and he nodded.

"I know. But first I think we'll need to change her. Her heart's weakening too much. If it weakens further, she'll die." He said. I sighed, taking the conjoined twins from him.

"You change her; I'll clean these two." I said as I clamped and cut their cords.

"Good idea. Just remember not to let them get too cold." He warned me. I nodded as I removed my jacket, placing the children in it and carrying them into the nearest bathroom. I filled the bath tub until it was a quarter full of warm water and gently lowered them into the water, cleaning them of all the blood and muck from the birth, realising as I did so, that they were boys. With that done, I lifted them out of the water, drained the bath and wrapped the twins in a large towel. I carried them back to Natalie's room, where I gently rubbed them dry, watching Carlisle work to keep Natalie alive. By the bite mark to her throat, he'd already bitten her, but she was obviously not doing as well as we'd hoped.

"Do you think she might improve if William is here?" I asked, before realising the scent of her blood was still strong in the air.

"It might, but we may want to open a window to air out the room a bit before we do bring him in." He replied, not looking up. I did as I was told; opening the window and allowing the outside air to flow into the room and clear out the scent of blood.

Eventually, once the scent of blood had mostly been cleared from the room, I handed the twins to Carlisle before running downstairs, where William was waiting in the living room. He looked up as I approached, looking concerned.

"Is she alright?" he asked me and I sighed.

"It's a bit hard to say. After the twins were delivered, her heart started weakening to the point that if we didn't change her she would die. Carlisle bit her, but she's still not responding to our efforts to keep her alive. I think that if you're there, though, she might recover enough to survive into becoming a vampire." I explained and he nodded, standing up. I led him into the room, taking the twins from Carlisle. William approached his wife, placing his hand gently on her cheek.

To our surprise and relief, Natalie's heart began strengthening at William's touch.

"Look after her William. Kristen and I need to separate the conjoined twins." Carlisle told William, who nodded, looking relieved that her heart had strengthened. "Come with me Kristen." He added to me and I nodded, following him into his study. He turned a light on over the desk and draped a sheet over the desk's surface.

"Carlisle, we should probably make sure they're not sharing any major arteries or anything like that before we separate them." I said and he inclined his head.

"You're right Kristen." He said as I lay the twins on the desk, putting them under anaesthetic. He took his scalpel out of his black bag and walked over. He cut into the skin shared by the twins, and while I held the incision open using forceps, he checked to make sure there were no major blood vessels shared by the twins.

Eventually, he looked up at me briefly.

"One large artery is shared by the twins, but other than that, the other blood vessels are small." He said, looking back to the twins.

The surgery went well, and pretty soon, the twins were separated. Carlisle and I stitched up their wounds, wrapping them in separate blankets that we'd grabbed from the linen cupboard.

"Hopefully they'll heal quickly. Natalie will be awake in three days, and she'll want to hold her children." I said and Carlisle nodded, smiling.

"Well boys, try and heal quickly." He said to the twin boys and I smiled. "We'd also better remind their mother when she wakes up to be as gentle as possible when holding them." He added to me and I smiled as I approached him. I stood next to him, looking at each of the little boys. They both looked identical, having a blonde-brown hair colour and pale skin. I frowned.

"I think it's obvious who their father was." I said to Carlisle, who nodded gravely.

"You're right Kristen. But remember that because William is Natalie's husband, she'd most likely choose him to father them." He replied and I smiled slightly.

As we were alone together, I rested my head lightly on his shoulder, watching the twins sleep. I felt him press his lips briefly to my forehead and smiled.

"Please, whatever you do, don't forget that I love you." I whispered and I heard him chuckle softly in my ear.

"And whatever you do, don't forget that I love you too." He replied also in a whisper.

"By the way, when the boys wake up, what are we going to feed them? Would we feed them milk, or blood?" I asked Carlisle softly, remembering that the twins would need food.

"I'm not sure. I think we still have milk in the fridge downstairs, though, so we could try and warm that up for them." He shrugged with his right shoulder only, as I still had my head leaning against his left.

After about five minutes of standing there like that watching the twin boys sleep, we heard footsteps outside the door, and I lifted my head from Carlisle's shoulder and took a step away from him. The footsteps passed and I sighed.

"You know, I wish we didn't have to hide our feelings like this." I said, pouting slightly. He smiled, taking a step towards me to close the gap between us. He lifted my chin with his left hand so that I was looking directly at him.

"I know, so do I." He murmured softly, briefly pressing his lips to mine, before turning away and taking several steps away from me. "Sorry, I shouldn't have done that." He apologised and I felt a smile creep onto my face.

"That's alright Carlisle. Don't apologise." I replied and he turned back to face me, smiling slightly. "I do love you. I just wish it were under different circumstances." I said, walking towards the door.

We walked out of his study and up the stairs into Natalie and William's room, where Carlisle gently handed the twin he was holding to William.

"Just be gentle with him. He's due to wake soon, I think, but he will be a bit groggy, and the stitches will still be tender to touch." Carlisle warned William, who nodded as he smiled down at the baby boy in his arms. "Kristen, if you could please look after the boys and Natalie, I'll go get some milk warmed up for the twins. Do you still have the bottles that Krystal and Devlin used?" he asked me and I nodded.

"They're in the pantry in the kitchen, somewhere on the top shelf, I think." I replied and he smiled at me as he left the room.

While Carlisle was gone, William looked carefully at the little boy he held.

"God no." He breathed, horror obvious on his face.

"What's wrong?" I asked him in concern, listening out to make sure the child's heart and breathing sounds were normal. They were.

"He-he looks like that blonde vampire." William whispered and I sighed in relief.

"I know. I noticed that too, while Carlisle was stitching them up." I said. "Both Carlisle and I are fairly sure that the twins are both the blonde vampire's children."

"Damn. He was the most vicious. I'm not sure if Natalie told you, but it was him that attacked me and bit me." William explained and I nodded.

"I know. Natalie explained it to Carlisle and I when we first found her." I replied, just as Carlisle arrived back in the room.

"Are they alright, Kristen?" he asked me, handing me a bottle of warmed milk, handing the other to William.

"They're doing well, but the twins haven't woken yet." I replied and he nodded as he walked to check Natalie's temperature.

"36.5...relatively normal." I heard him mutter as he timed her heart and breathing. "Heart rate 71, breathing 19. All normal."

At that point, I felt the little boy stir in my arms and I looked down to see his hazel coloured eyes open and looking at me curiously. He opened his little mouth slightly, turning his head towards me. I realised then that he wanted food. I sighed, placing the teat of the bottle I held into his mouth. He suckled in silence, his eyes closed as I watched the milk slowly disappear. I smiled, looking up briefly to see the other little boy in William's arms also suckling on the bottle.

"They've finally woken up." Carlisle said from behind me, causing me to jump slightly. I turned my head to see him standing behind me, watching the baby feed from over my shoulder. His mouth was turned up in a slight smile as he watched. I smiled slightly wider at this.

"And it's clear that you've fallen in love with them, just like you did with Krystal and Devlin." I said softly to him and he chuckled in my ear.

"And who are you to judge me for that?" he asked me, and I knew he was joking. "I've never actually been a father, remember? Yes, I 'adopted' everyone, but even then, I'm technically not their father. Renesmee was the first child I'd watched grow from birth. Next was Krystal and Devlin, and now it's these two. But it's stronger with Krystal and Devlin, and these two, probably because I'd actually had a hand in their delivery. I wasn't there when Renesmee was born. I was actually at the hospital getting some blood for Bella, when Edward called and told me that he was going to deliver the child. I did try telling him to wait until I got home, that I was leaving immediately, but he didn't. By the time I got home, Rosalie and Jacob were crooning over Renesmee in the living room and I could hear the beating of Bella's changing heart upstairs. Edward had already delivered his daughter and bitten Bella. I had no hand whatsoever in Renesmee's delivery." He explained and my jaw dropped. He'd never mentioned anything about Renesmee's birth before.

"Hmm...So you feel a strange connection to the children that you _actually_ deliver in the family?" I asked, recovering quickly, and he smiled.

"Yes, I suppose I do." He replied, still smiling. I sighed, checking my watch. It was now almost six.

"Alright, I'd better get the car from the hospital." I said and Carlisle sighed.

"I'll come with you. Just let me quickly get Esme so she can look after the baby until we get back." He said and I nodded, looking down and seeing the bottle was empty. I took it from the child's mouth, placing it on the bedside table. The baby was looking up at me, unusually quiet for a newborn baby. I smiled, stroking his cheek gently with my hand and he gurgled.

"That's better. You were a little quiet before, mate." I said softly to him, laughing softly when I saw him smile slightly as though he were able to understand me. At that point, however, Carlisle and Esme walked in, approaching me.

"They're so beautiful." Esme whispered in adoration as I gently handed the baby to her.

"They're both boys. Um, I guess the main thing is remember to be careful. Because they were born conjoined, their stitches would still be very tender to the touch. This one's stitches are on his right side, if I remember correctly." I explained and she nodded. "And call us immediately if Natalie's heart weakens or changes speed." I added to both of them and they nodded.

"Are you sure Carlisle has to go with you? I mean, it's only your car there, isn't it?" Esme asked me and I sighed.

"Yes it is only my car, but Carlisle insisted on coming with me, because he's concerned that I may not be alright after Rowan's passing." I said softly, my voice breaking slightly when I mentioned my deceased boyfriend's name. She sighed, nodding understandingly.

"Alright, we'll see you when you get back, then." She said and I nodded as both Carlisle and I walked out of the room and down both flights of steps, before sprinting to the hospital. We arrived a minute later, getting into my car and driving out of the parking space.

I drove us out onto the main highway heading home, knowing Carlisle was watching me with concern.

"Are you sure you're okay Kristen?" he asked me softly and I sighed.

"I'll be alright. I've dealt with the worst part of it, but it does still hurt, and it will for quite a while." I replied and he nodded.

"I've noticed that Sero cheers you up a lot, though." He said.

"He does. He seems to fill that 'hole' in my chest that was left over from..._his_ passing. He's helped a lot over the past few months." I said and I saw him smile slightly.

"I think part of it might be that he's in love with you." He told me and I sighed.

"I know he loves me, and I will admit that I think I'm falling for him too, but I'm refusing to let anything happen between us until further into the future. I mean, he and I have all of eternity, right? Why rush?" I said and he chuckled.

"You're right. I will admit that part of me wishes that it was me holding you three months ago." He said and I smiled slightly.

"I do have a bad habit of imagining myself in your arms, but I know that if that does actually happen, we'd be having an affair. And besides – you and Esme make such a great couple. Considering you're taken, I can't keep fantasising about being in your arms. This just reminds me of a song. _'It's meeting the man of your dreams, then meeting his beautiful wife. Isn't it ironic, don't ya think?'_ I sang that line and he chuckled.

"Well, if you'd got to me about a couple of hundred years before now, I'd still be single." He said and I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, Carlisle, that would only work if I was actually _born_ a couple of hundred years before I was." I replied.

"I suppose you're right. And I should probably also stop fantasising about you being in my arms. It doesn't pay for a married man to be imagining those things about another woman." He said and I bit my lip, focusing on the road ahead.

"No, you're absolutely right Carlisle. It doesn't pay. But then again I suppose it doesn't pay for me to be imagining a married man in my arms, either." I replied and he chuckled, looking slightly embarrassed.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Kristen. You're not supposed to tempt me, remember?" he said and I laughed.

"Sorry. But you're not supposed to tempt me, either, _remember_?" I told him and he chuckled.

"Sorry Kristen. I do love you, though." He whispered and my breathing faltered for a split second.

"I love you too Carlisle." I replied, also in a whisper. "I just wish that this wasn't so complicated. I kind of wish that either I met you about two hundred years earlier, or Esme didn't exist until two hundred years after she was actually born." I added, slightly louder, but still softly.

"That's not very nice, Kristen." He said, chuckling.

"I'm sorry, but it's just how I feel sometimes. I'm not actually saying I want her dead, here." I said and I could see Carlisle flinch as I said that. "Sorry, I didn't mean to hit a nerve." I whispered, taking my left hand off the wheel and placing it on his knee, instead. He placed his hand over mine gently.

"Don't apologise, Kristen. I know what you meant. I guess I'm still a bit sensitive after Helen had kidnapped Esme, that's all." He said softly and I nodded understandingly. I could see the pain in his eyes as he remembered the incident. My heart broke at the sight, causing the hole in my chest to throb with pain again. Carlisle seemed to notice my expression, because he squeezed my hand slightly. "Are you alright Kristen?" he asked me and I sighed.

"I'll be okay. It just kills me to see you in pain, that's all." I replied and it was his turn to sigh.

"Believe me Kristen, it does the same to me when I see you in pain." He said and I smiled slightly. I knew that it hurt him to see me in pain. Whenever I was in any kind of pain, I could see my pain reflected in Carlisle's eyes – it's almost like I could see his heart breaking every time he saw me in pain. Carlisle sighed deeply, looking out the side window of the car at the darkening sky. "I suppose it's good that you're finding someone who's able to comfort you without causing any suspicions. I think Esme can see the amount of time we spend together. I think she knows that there's something more than just friendship between us, but she doesn't have any proof to bring it up." He said softly.

"The really sad thing is that she doesn't actually realise how right she is. You do realise, though, that she does have a right to know, considering she is your wife." I told him and he nodded.

"I know. I also know, however, that she gets very protective of me. I dread to think what she would do to you if she found out." He said, visibly shuddering.

"She would probably react better if she found out from us, though, rather than from Jasper. I know that Jasper has seen a change in our emotions whenever we're around each other. I think he's just trying to hide the fact that he knows, because he wants to stay out of it as much as he can." I explained and he nodded, sighing deeply.

"You're right. We will have to explain it to her eventually." He said and I sighed, reluctantly taking my hand from his knee and placing it back on the wheel.

"The only question is when." I added and he chuckled softly.

"A while later, I think. Once you're past the year mark since his passing, so you'll have a bit of a grip on yourself. Because, I think it may involve mentioning that..._he_ was slightly aware of it." He replied and I nodded, smiling slightly at him.

"Thank you Carlisle." I whispered and he smiled in return, placing his hand on my shoulder.

When we arrived home, I parked the car in the garage and we got out, seeing Sero walk towards us.

"You're a bit late." He commented and I sighed.

"Well, actually we got off work a few hours ago; because Natalie had told us that she was having difficulties with the child. It turned out the baby – or bab_ies_, I should say, were trying to force their way out of her. We delivered them and then had to change her. We went back to the hospital to pick up the car." I explained and he nodded.

"Oh. Okay, so Natalie had twins, or something?" he asked and I sighed again, shaking my head slowly.

"Yes. She had conjoined twin boys, and she's currently in the process of changing into a vampire." I replied.

"Okay, well we'd better get inside, then. It's after six, so I think the kids are waiting for their dinner." He told me and I nodded as the three of us walked into the house.

"Sero, I'll get their dinner ready, if you could please call them downstairs." I said as I walked into the kitchen. Sero nodded as he left the room.

In the kitchen, I decided a simple meal wouldn't hurt them, so I took some vegetables from the fridge and boiled a pot of water. I took a box of fish fillets from the freezer, glanced briefly at the cooking instructions and preheated the oven.

I turned the stove and oven off after about 20 minutes, serving up the food onto three plates. I knew that eventually I'd have to cook for five, but I'd wait until that point in time actually arrived. I carried the three plates easily into the dining room, placing them in front of each child.

"Thanks Mum." Krystal and Devlin chorused and I smiled.

"Thank you Kristen." Renesmee said.

"You're welcome guys. Eat up, now." I replied, walking out of the dining room and seeing Sero standing there, smiling slightly.

"You're a born mother, Kristen." He said as he and I walked into the living room.

"Not really. I just do my best. To be completely honest, I'm biologically not the mother of Krystal and Devlin. I was already a vampire before I even met Rowan. After he became a vampire, he was kidnapped and made a mistake with Helen after he thought I'd left him for dead. He came back about a month later, with the pregnant Helen in tow. We changed her after she had difficulties with the pregnancy, and then two weeks after we changed her, Carlisle and I delivered Krystal and Devlin, realising that they'd survived their mother's transformation. Rowan had decided to allow me to mother the children, because Helen, had killed a human on her first hunt and felt no remorse, and Rowan was terrified she would kill her own children. At that point in time, we were living in America." I explained and he nodded understandingly. "That's why I'm always introduced as their mother."

"I suppose that kind of makes sense. I mean, while they look a lot like their father, they don't really have anything in common with you." He replied and I smiled.

"You're very observant, Sero." I commented and he chuckled.

"Well, I kind of have to be, if I'm a vet." He said.

"Very true. I suppose I should say the same thing about nurses. They need to be observant, too. Basically anyone working in the medical field, whether it's for humans or animals." I shrugged and he chuckled again.


	52. Chapter 51: Family

_Chapter 51: Family_

Throughout the three days after Natalie's twin boys had been delivered, Carlisle and I were watching her closely to make sure she survived, along with making sure her sons were alright as well.

Both boys were growing up quickly, but were still only able to be considered infants. They physically looked only about four months old. Their stitches from their separation were healing nicely, and Carlisle had removed their stitches by the time Natalie woke on the third day.

When Natalie did wake, William was next to her, holding one of the twins, while I held the other, ready to hand him to her.

"Are you okay, Natalie?" I asked softly and she nodded, smiling slightly as her red eyes fell upon her sons.

"Twins?" she asked me incredulously as I handed her the infant I was holding.

"Yes, they were conjoined when Carlisle and I delivered them. They're both boys, by the way." I said and she laughed softly.

"Well, they're obviously the same gender if they were conjoined." She said and I suddenly realised that most people who didn't work, or study to work, in the medical field wouldn't normally know that.

"Do you work in the medical field or something, Natalie?" I asked her.

"No, actually I'd just finished my last year of uni doing a nursing course before I met you guys." She replied. I was surprised that I hadn't noticed that beforehand. "Just a question. Why does my throat hurt so badly?" she asked and I sighed.

"You're thirsty. We should probably take you hunting." Carlisle said from behind me, making me jump. He'd been silent the whole time.

"You two take her, and I'll look after the boys. I don't need to hunt." William said and I nodded as Natalie handed the boy she was holding to her husband and got to her feet. I opened the window.

"Before you ask, you're not going to injure yourself when you hit the ground." I told her and she nodded nervously. "And with hunting, trust your instincts." I added and she nodded again.

"I'll go first so you can see how it's done." Carlisle said, jumping out of the window. Natalie and I jumped after him and together we sprinted into the forest.

"Wow, I can see why you guys wanted me to close my eyes while you ran to find William." Natalie commented while we ran and we all laughed.

"Yeah, well, the speed tends to get nauseating for humans. I know, because I once ran with Rowan on my back while he was still human. He was almost green in the face and could barely stand when I finally let him down." I replied.

"I can imagine." Natalie said.

"This is why most vampires are so dangerous to humans. No human could ever hope to outrun us, even if they were in a Formula 1 car doing 300k's an hour." I told her.

"I can see that." She said and we all laughed again.

"Nor could they ever even hope to fight us off." I added as we stopped. I picked up a rock and clenched my fist around it. The rock crumbled into dust. "And not just that, we're also bulletproof. The only way to kill a vampire is burn them in a fire." I explained and she nodded.

"Okay, so vampires are able to go out in the sun, then?" she asked.

"Well, no. Not in direct sunlight. We can go out on a cloudy day, because the humans wouldn't be able to tell that we're that different. In direct sunlight, though, we sparkle. I'll have to show you sometime in the spring. It's a bit too cloudy at the moment." I replied.

"Alright." She said, just as a strong human scent hit us hard, and I held Natalie back with my telekinetic ability. It was obvious that a human that was bleeding had approached this area.

"We need to get her away from here." Carlisle said and I nodded as we sprinted deeper into the forest, away from the human scent, Natalie being forced to follow by my telekinesis.

Eventually, when we'd run far enough away from the human scent, I released Natalie and told her that she could hunt, but not to run to the west. She nodded, before running east.

"You go after her; I'll go see about the human. They're obviously bleeding." I said and Carlisle nodded, running after Natalie. I ran back the way we came, finding the human was walking with a large cut to his hand. I stopped, walking towards him slowly. "Excuse me?" I asked him and he looked up, his heart skipping a beat when he saw me. I rolled my eyes internally.

"Can I help you?" he asked and I sighed.

"I couldn't help but notice you've got a cut on your left hand. Do you mind if I have a look?" I asked him and he shrugged, nodding as he held out his hand. I took it gently in mine, examining the cut to his hand. It was fairly deep, but had obviously missed any major blood vessels. It was also dirty.

"You're hand is icy. You should put some gloves on." He said and I smiled. His heart raced when he saw my smile.

"Thank you for your concern, but I'm alright." I replied, ignoring his racing heart. "Do you mind if I ask how you got this cut?" I asked, looking slightly concerned.

"Well, I was walking and a tree branch got me." He replied.

"How long ago was this?" I asked.

"About ten minutes ago." He replied.

"Okay, well I'm going to have to clean and dress it. It's fairly deep, but also very dirty. The dirt in it could cause it to become infected." I told him and he nodded. "That means I will have to take you to the hospital. By the looks of it, it may require stitches, but we'll wait until we get to the hospital for that." I added and he nodded. I led him towards the edge of the forest, where Alice drove my car over, stopping on the side of the road. She opened the driver's door, getting out.

"Here you are, Kristen. I heard that you needed a trip to the hospital, so I drove your car to you. That way you don't have to walk." She said and I smiled.

"Thank you Alice." I said, opening the passenger door and allowing the man to get into the seat. Closing the door, I walked around to the driver's door and got in, starting the engine and driving to the hospital.

We arrived at the hospital shortly afterwards, and I led the man into the foyer, letting reception know that I was treating a person's injury. I led him up to the next level and into a ward, taking some antiseptic and a suture from a cupboard, walking back to the man.

"Alright, I'm going to need you to sit down, while I treat your wound. This may hurt a little, though." I said and he nodded. I used the antiseptic to clean his wound. As I did so, I heard him gasp slightly with pain.

Once the wound was clean, I was able to examine it more closely. I discovered that it would require stitches in order to heal properly, so I stitched it up, before wrapping a bandage securely around the hand and wrist. Clipping the end of the bandage in place, I released his hand.

"Alright, you'll need to come back in a couple of weeks to have the stitches removed, but until then, you should be fine." I told him and he nodded. "Will you be able to find your own way home, or did you want me to give you a lift?" I asked.

"Well, I live not far from here, so I'll be able to find my own way home, thanks." He said and I nodded.

"Okay, well come and see me again in a couple of weeks so I can remove the stitches." I said.

"Alright." He replied, smiling.

"I'll see you in a couple of weeks, then." I said and he hesitated.

"Are you sure you don't want to see me again sooner? Like, over dinner, maybe?" he asked and I sighed. He was so clueless.

"I'm sorry, I'm already taken. But thanks for the offer." I replied and he sighed, nodding as he turned away and walked out of the ward. I followed him out, walking out to the car park and driving home.

Parking my car in the garage, I ran out into the forest, following Carlisle and Natalie's scents. I found them waiting for me near the house.

"What happened there?" Carlisle asked me and I sighed. I told him everything that had happened, including the man asking me out, and by the time I was done, Carlisle was laughing.

"Why didn't you say yes?" he asked me and I shook my head.

"No thanks. He's obviously clueless. If only he knew what I really am, then he'd probably be running in the opposite direction as fast as his legs can carry him." I replied and he smiled.

"I suppose you're right." He said as we walked back to the house.

Arriving back home, we found William waiting for us at the back door, holding both twins.

"Welcome back." He said, smiling as he handed one of the boys to Natalie. "What do you want to call them? We didn't name them yet because we weren't sure if you wanted to name them, considering they're your kids."

"Thanks guys. Well, I'll call this one Noah, and the other one...how about Daniel?" she said and we all smiled.

"Sounds good." William said, placing his arm around her shoulders. Carlisle and I walked away to give the two of them some time alone with the twins. I sighed.

"Are you alright, Kristen?" Carlisle asked me and I looked up at him.

"Yeah, I think I'm beginning to realise how much I miss Rowan, though. It's a bit painful to see other couples together, at the moment." I replied and he placed his hand on my shoulder.

"I know. I'm so sorry that we couldn't do anything to help him. I really am." He said softly and I sighed.

"Thank you Carlisle. The way I'm going, I'm seriously beginning to doubt that I'm meant to be in a relationship. I mean, maybe I'm meant to be alone." I whispered and he sighed, tightening his grip on my shoulder.

"Please don't think that, Kristen." He said and I turned away, trying to hold myself together.

"Why? First it was Derryn, and he died, and now Rowan's gone. Everyone I've managed to become involved with has ended up dead." I said softly, my voice breaking and my emotional precautions failing. I sobbed a couple of times and Carlisle sighed, pulling me gently towards him.

"I know Kristen. I know it hurts, and I'm sorry." He murmured.

"What's going on?" came Esme's voice. Oops, she caught us.

Carlisle sighed as he released me, but he kept his hand on my shoulder.

"She's having a hard time at the moment, Esme. I was consoling her." He explained to his wife and she sighed, nodding.

"I'm sorry things turned out the way they did, Kristen. We all miss him." She said and I nodded, keeping my eyes downcast. I walked away, into the living room, sitting on the sofa. Once again, the dogs were playing, and as I walked over, Jumpy dog-trotted towards me, leaping into my arms. I smiled slightly as I caught him, holding him tight to my chest. He looked into my eyes with those golden doggy eyes of his, which once again felt like he was looking right into my soul. I patted his head gently, sitting on the sofa with him still in my arms. He curled up on my lap, licking my hand gently. I sighed. Great, forget the comfort from the _people_ in the family, now I was getting comfort from the _dogs_ in the family.

"I swear, Kristen. That is the cutest sight I've ever seen in my life." I heard Sero's voice as the owner approached me, sitting next to me. I looked up, smiling slightly. I'd been absent-mindedly stroking Jumpy's head before he'd walked over.

"Well, he's actually a great comfort. You should try it sometime." I said, and then had a thought. "Actually, don't. You don't want this kind of pain, believe me." I added and he chuckled softly, pulling me closer to him.

"Look Kristen, I know it's hurting you. You need to take it easy for a while, alright. I think that couple of months you had off work really helped, but it _has_ only been five months since the incident, so I can understand that you're still in pain." He said softly and I sighed. He was right, as much as I didn't want to admit it. He also seemed to know he was right. He placed his right arm around my shoulders, gently rubbing my right shoulder with his thumb. I sighed as I lay my head against his shoulder. Jumpy was still on my lap, and once again licked my hand. I smiled slightly as I lifted my head from Sero's shoulder and looked at the dog.

"Good boy Jumpy." I murmured and he cocked his head to one side. He barked once and Sero and I laughed.

"He knows you're unhappy. It's obvious that he's closer to you than anyone else in this family." Sero said and I laughed again, scratching behind Jumpy's ears.

"Well, it _was_ me that trained him not to attack humans. Alice trained Dalmatio and Reggie, but Jumpy was stubborn and he would only respond to me." I replied and he chuckled.

"How did you find the dogs? And why'd you change them?" he asked and I sighed.

"Well, Jumpy, Dalmatio and Reggie we found about a year ago in America, when Carlisle and I were finally able to go hunting after not being able to hunt for a week while we attempted to keep a family friend alive. When he finally regained consciousness, we were able to go hunting, and I found the three of them. Alice appeared just as I brought Carlisle. He wasn't happy, but Alice and I insisted. The three dogs were actually wounded in a few places, and were dying, so we changed them, not actually knowing whether it would work. They woke three days later and Alice, Rowan and I pleaded with Carlisle and Esme to let us keep them. Eventually they agreed and we named them." I explained and he nodded as he patted Jumpy's head. A low moan escaped the dog's throat. "I think he likes that." I added, laughing and Sero joined in.

"As they say Kristen, laughter is the best medicine. It's good to see you laughing." He said and I smiled at him.

"It's the animals that do that to me. I find the dogs are a great comfort." I replied and he chuckled.

"You love animals, don't you?" he asked and I tilted my head to one side.

"How can you tell?" I asked, before laughing. "Yes, I am your local animal lover. My father had always called me his little animal freak, because I'd always be bringing home possums and little birds. I kept asking my parents if I could have a pet, but they never let me." I said and he laughed.

"Well, you got your wish, in the end. Including said kangaroo upstairs and said dingoes outside." He said and I laughed with him.

"Yeah, well...Freddie was an interesting one, actually. I went hunting and killed a kangaroo, without realising it was a female, and that she had a joey in her pouch. I discovered after the mother was dead that there was another heartbeat. Opening the pouch, I found Freddie, still latched onto his mother's teat. I gently took him from his mother's pouch and wrapped him in my jacket to keep him warm. We decided to keep him, and when Jumpy had accidentally killed him, thinking he was meant for food, we thought we'd lost him forever, but Matthew brought him back. That's how we first came to discover Matthew's ability." I explained.

"Well, you're doing a good job with him. He's managed to survive into adolescence under 'human' or should I say _vampire_ care." He said and we both laughed again. "Not many kangaroos do, because the humans are unsure how best to look after them like they would be in the wild. Joeys are best left with their mothers, but you did manage to raise him quite well." He added and I smiled.

"All I did was give him a constant supply of kangaroo's milk and keep him in a warm room, and he did the rest. I made sure the room was the same temperature as that of a kangaroo's body so he didn't get too hot or too cold." I shrugged and Sero nodded.

"I think that's the main thing. Obviously it worked." He said and I smiled as I leaned against him, still stroking Jumpy. A sudden whine distracted me and I saw the pups all looking up at me, obviously wanting attention. I sighed.

"Jumpy, down boy." I said firmly and Jumpy leapt down from my lap. As soon as their father was on the floor, Sero and I were overcome with puppies leaping into our laps. We laughed, stroking them gently.

"Everyone's asking for attention now. I'm just waiting for Hera, Dalmatio and Reggie to come and ask for attention." Sero laughed.

"Ah well, these guys are still young, don't forget. They need human company, and they love it." I said and he inclined his head.

"You're right." He said and I leaned my head against his shoulder again as the two of us patted the pups.

After a while, the pups all decided they'd had enough and jumped down, playing with the adult dogs. I sighed, looking at my watch.

"Sero, would you mind getting the kids to the table for lunch?" I asked Sero and he nodded as the two of us walked out of the living room and into the hallway. He walked upstairs while I made my way to the kitchen.

I made sandwiches for the kids for lunch, placing the plates down in front of them and following Sero outside to check on the dingoes.

"You know, I just realised that I don't actually know why I'm keeping them. I mean, they were originally to give Hera a constant supply of blood while she was still pregnant and to feed the pups their first meal, but I can't figure out why I've still got them here." I said and he chuckled.

"Well, I wouldn't move them now. I mean, one of the females has a litter. She may abandon her pups if we move them now." Sero said and I nodded.

"I know." I replied as we unlocked the door and walked in, closing it after us.

"I just want to give them a quick health check." He told me as he approached the female that was not nursing a litter. "If you could hold her still, it would help me greatly." He added and I walked over, wrapping one of my arms gently around her chest and stroking her head with the other. Sero gently opened her mouth, but she closed it around his wrist. "Oops." He laughed as he prised her mouth open again.

"Did you want me to hold her mouth open for you?" I asked him and he chuckled.

"I suppose. I mean, it's not like she can do much harm to me." He replied and I used my free hand to hold the animal's mouth open. He checked her teeth and gums, before telling me I could release her mouth. I did as I was told, still holding the dingo around the chest.

Eventually he was done examining the head and told me to release the chest so he could check her body. I did as I was told and he ran his hands along the animal's sides, back and chest, pressing on her stomach gently. With that, he moved to the back end. Lifting her tail, he produced a thermometer. He eased it into the dingo's rear, the animal struggling to get out of our grip. I didn't loosen my grip on her and eventually Sero removed the thermometer.

"Well, her body temperature's normal." He said softly. "And there doesn't appear to be any sores or anything on her body. By the looks of it, she's completely healthy."

"Good. Did you want to check the male?" I asked and he chuckled.

"Yes, I might want to make sure he's healthy, too." He replied and I nodded as I caught the male dingo. I held him still while Sero checked him over.

Eventually, when he'd finished examining the male dingo, he and I slowly approached the female who was nursing the litter.

"Okay, we're going to have to coordinate this. I'll need you to hold the mother while I do a quick check of her pups." He said and I nodded, walking quickly over to the mother and holding her. She growled, closing her jaws hard around my wrist, but I just patted her. Her teeth couldn't do any damage to me, so it didn't really bother me. At least she was distracted.

"She's distracted, Sero. You can go now." I said and I saw him run over to the pups, lifting one and doing a quick examination.

After he'd examined all seven, he stood up, taking a step back.

"You can let her tend to them again now." He said and I nodded, forcing the animal's jaws from my wrist and standing up. The dingo stood up, standing over her pups with her tail held out straight and her ears pressed flat against her head. Her hackles were raised as she drew her lips back from her teeth, a snarl escaping her lips. I looked at the ground, backing away slowly so that she knew I was not a threat.

Sero and I left the dingo pen and turned to head back to the house, just as Peter walked up to us.

"Well, Sero, I can see that you've learned a lot. I was just about to do that, when I saw you already there. I watched you and you've definitely improved. Good work." He said and Sero smiled.

"Thanks Peter. I do my best, and hope that in the end it pays off." He replied.

"Well, you're doing well. Keep it up." Peter said, before running off, to hunt, I guessed.

Sero and I headed back to the house at a walk. He was looking a bit concerned.

"Are you sure you're alright, Kristen?" he asked me and I sighed.

"I'll be fine. It's just a bit painful. His death caused me to gain an emotional hole in the centre of my chest, and it tends to hurt from time to time. But your presence almost fills that hole, so I can breathe normally. There are occasions, however, when the edges of the hole throb with pain." I explained and he nodded understandingly, placing his arm around my shoulders and pulling me closer to him as we walked.

"I know. I'm sorry it's like that for you, Kristen." He whispered, briefly pressing his lips against my forehead.

"Okay Sero, I know that you love me and all, and I am glad about that, but we should probably try to wait it out. We have all of eternity, remember?" I said to him and he sighed, nodding.

"I know. I'm sorry Kristen." He replied, removing his arm from my shoulders. I sighed deeply, taking his hand in mine. I leaned in closer so my lips were at his ear.

"I still love you, though." I breathed, before moving back a little. He smiled.

"Good to hear." He replied softly and I smiled slightly. He placed his arm once again around my shoulders, and I smiled, leaning my head on his shoulder.


	53. Chapter 52: Monopoly

_Chapter 52: Monopoly_

Once we'd managed to get back into the house, we walked into the living room and sat on the sofa. The rest of the family were nowhere to be seen, but we didn't mind. Until we heard a yell.

"Oi! You have to play fair Carlisle! It's Jasper's turn!" we heard Alice yell.

"Okay, um I hope they're not doing what it sounds like they're doing." I said and Sero and I stood up, running upstairs and towards Natalie and William's room, where the sound was coming from. Before we could open the door, Esme came running towards us, looking confused.

We could now hear other voices, laughing. And Jasper's voice saying "I'm buying Trafalgar Square."

"No, you can't. I already own that, see? You have to pay me the rent, now!" Alice's voice replied and several voices laughing again.

Intrigued, I placed my hand on the door handle, turning it slowly.

"What is going on in – oh." I said as I opened the door and saw Alice, Jasper, Natalie, William, Elizabeth, Joshua and Carlisle all sitting around a Monopoly board. Esme sighed, looking relieved.

"Oh hi. Did you want to join us?" Carlisle asked, looking up at us.

"No I'm fine. I was just wondering what all that noise was." Esme said, backing out of the room. I sighed, walking to join them. Sero followed too.

"Okay. Thanks." I said and Elizabeth sighed.

"I suppose that means that we'll have to start the game all over again." She said and Sero chuckled.

"Nah, you guys finish the current game and we'll play next game." He said, shrugging. "Besides, I wanna see who wins." He added and we all laughed.

"I'll stay out next game, then and be banker." William said and we nodded.

"Okay, Josh, I think it's your turn." Jasper said and Josh grabbed a couple of dice and rolled them, moving his playing piece along the board.

"Oh, a chance. 'Go directly to jail. Do not pass Go, do not collect $200.' Well that sucks." He said, placing his piece in the jail section of the board. "Liz, your turn." He said to his sister, who rolled the dice.

The game continued for a long while, eventually ending with everyone except Alice bankrupt.

"Okay, let's play again. This time with all of us." Carlisle said, placing all playing pieces back into the container with the one remaining piece. "Kristen, did you want to choose a piece?" he asked me, holding out the container to me. I grabbed the dog piece, chuckling as I did so.

"My dog." I muttered and everyone laughed while Alice shuffled the Chance deck and Jasper shuffled the Community Chest deck. Elizabeth organised the ownership cards and Josh placed the dice in the middle of the board.

Once everyone had chosen a piece, we all placed our respective playing pieces on the Go square. William handed out Monopoly money to everyone and we all rolled the dice to see who would go first. I rolled a nine, Sero rolled a six, Carlisle a four, Jasper a ten, Alice a eight, Josh a three, Elizabeth a eleven and Natalie a ten.

"Okay Liz, looks like you're first this time." Natalie said and Elizabeth rolled the dice to start.

"What we're doing, so the two of you know, is we're going in a clockwise rotation of turns, so after Elizabeth, Natalie will have her turn, and so on." Carlisle explained and we nodded. So it looked like, after Elizabeth and Natalie have had their turns, Jasper would have his, then Alice, Carlisle, myself, Sero and finally Josh.

"I'm buying the station." Elizabeth said, paying the correct amount of money to William, who was the banker. He handed her a card showing that she owned that particular station and she placed it near her money.

Natalie was next. She rolled and moved the hat piece the correct amount of spaces.

"Did you want to buy that, Natalie?" Carlisle asked and Natalie nodded, handing the required money to William, who exchanged it for the card.

The game continued for up to two hours, when Carlisle managed to win.

"Good game guys." I said, checking my watch. It was now six. "I'm going to go feed the kids." I said.

"Good idea. I'll get this cleaned up." William said and Elizabeth and Josh stayed.

"We'll help too." Elizabeth said.

"I'm going to feed the boys." Natalie informed us, standing up and walking out of the room. I followed her out, seeing her walk into a small room nearby. I smiled as I walked downstairs. She was definitely adapting to the role of motherhood. I could hear Carlisle and Sero following me downstairs.

"Sero, could you please make yourself useful and get the kids downstairs. Please don't forget Renesmee, though. Just because she's not my 'daughter', she still needs to be fed." I said and Sero chuckled, nodding as he sprinted past me.

"Have you told him that you're not biologically the mother of Krystal and Devlin?" Carlisle asked me, catching up to me and walking beside me.

"Yes, but I don't think they would benefit from being told. I mean, they've already lost their father. Technically they're orphans, but they don't believe so, and it would really damage them if they were to find out." I explained and he nodded.

"That sounds like a good idea, to me." He said as we reached the kitchen. "So what are you going to make them?" he asked, leaning against the bench.

"Good question. Food, obviously, though." I replied and he chuckled.

"Okay, allow me to clarify. What kind of food are you going to give them?" he asked.

"Edible food, obviously." I said and he chuckled again. "But as to what type of edible food, I have no idea." I added and we both laughed.

"I will admit that it's good to see you laughing." He said, recovering himself quickly.

"Well, what can I say? You're a great source of happiness." I replied, shrugging.

"I'm glad you see me that way, Kristen." He said, smiling. I could tell he was trying to keep it friendly. I assumed that was because he knew Esme or one of the other family members were close. He didn't want to tip anyone off as to how we really felt about each other. At least, not yet. It was still about seven months until we'd tell Esme. I did think Carlisle should tell her sooner, but he was obviously waiting until I'd reached the year mark since Rowan went, so it would be easier on me. Especially because telling her may involve mentioning him at some point, and Carlisle wanted to make sure I was ready. I was pleased about that.

Eventually, I'd decided on pasta. It was easy to cook, and I really couldn't be bothered thinking of anything else to make them. I could hear the kids' footsteps as they headed into the dining room and smiled. There were three sets of footsteps, so Sero hadn't forgotten Nessie.

I was also strangely aware of Carlisle watching me closely. I was sure he was afraid to leave me alone, in case I went into 'depressed and suicidal' mode. I sighed.

"Are you that worried about me becoming depressed and suicidal that you can't leave the kitchen?" I asked him, looking at him while I stirred the pasta. He looked confused.

"Didn't you want me in the kitchen?" he asked and I smiled, chuckling.

"Actually, that's not what I meant. It's unusual that you're in here watching me cook." I said and he chuckled.

"Well, I thought you might be lonely, so I stayed to keep you company." He said. "But I can leave, if that's what you want." He added, shrugging, turning to leave.

"Carlisle, why are you being difficult? I never said I wanted you to leave. I don't actually mind your company. I'm not actually the antisocial type, strange as that may seem." I said and he smiled, leaning in his original position against the bench.

"Okay, just let me know if I'm in your way." He said and I sighed exasperatedly. He was deliberately trying to be difficult.

"Carlisle, I am well aware that the family jewels are still just about as sensitive on a vampire as they are on a human. If you don't stop being so difficult, I will make you stop. In which case, you'll probably end up on the floor in incredible pain." I said and his hands absent-mindedly moved to protect his nether regions. I laughed. "You know I was joking, Carlisle. I don't think I'm game to injure you like that, because Esme would probably be after my head for centuries afterwards." I assured him and he chuckled, moving his hands away from his groin.

"I would greatly appreciate it if you didn't do as you threatened. Considering the strength of a vampire, I may not actually recover for weeks afterwards." He said and we both laughed. I tested to see if the pasta was ready by taking a piece out of the saucepan and cutting it in half.

"Don't worry, I won't. Just remember I don't like seeing you in pain." I whispered softly and he half-smiled.

"I'm glad about that." He replied also in a soft whisper. I smiled, turning off the stove and draining the pasta.

He watched me as I served it onto three plates, pouring some pasta sauce over the top of two of them, but leaving one plain.

"Why is one plain?" Carlisle asked me softly, looking confused.

"Krystal likes her pasta plain. Nessie and Devlin like it with the sauce." I replied and he nodded. I picked up two plates and Carlisle picked up the third. "Best give that one to Nessie. She doesn't eat a great amount." I told him and he nodded.

We walked into the dining room and Carlisle placed the plate he was holding in front of Nessie while I placed the two I was holding in front of the respective children.

"Eat up guys. And don't forget to put the plates in the dishwasher when you're done, _Devlin_." I said, looking at Devlin as I said the last part, knowing he relied on his sister to do that.

"Yes Mum." He said and I sighed, smiling as I ruffled his hair gently.

"Behave please, mate." I said softly to him, turning to leave the room, Carlisle and Sero right behind me.


	54. Chapter 53: Slow Healing

_Chapter 53: Slow Healing_

Over the next couple of months, I could still feel the pain associated with my loss tearing at my heart. Although everyone was trying to console me whenever they could, I knew that it wasn't doing much. It's true that Carlisle and Sero managed to numb the pain a little, but it was still there.

"Kristen, please don't be like that. It's killing me, here." Sero said to me about two months after Natalie had awoken, pulling me against his chest. I nodded, burying my face into his chest. Forget trying to avoid anything happening. I needed some consolation at the moment. He sighed, rubbing my back gently with his hand.

"I'm sorry Sero. I don't mean to hurt you, but I can't help how I'm feeling at the moment. I just want to die, sometimes." I whispered, unable to talk any louder, and he tightened his grip.

"Don't say that, Kristen. I understand that you're hurting, and I know that you miss him, but don't say things like that. Please." He told me softly and I nodded, unable to even breathe, let alone talk. My eyes prickled with tears that wouldn't come, and I sobbed tearlessly into his chest. He just sat there in silence, rubbing my back gently to allow me to calm down.

Eventually I heard footsteps approach, heard someone sigh and felt that someone sit next to me on the sofa. That someone placed their hand gently on my shoulder. I couldn't tell who it was as of yet, because the only scent I was getting was Sero's, considering I still had my face buried in his chest. If I'd been able to produce tears, his shirt would be completely soaked through by now. Whoever had their hand on my shoulder was gently rubbing circles on my shoulder with their thumb, as a way of consoling me, I guessed. I could feel myself calming down slightly, even though the pain was still there.

"She was thinking about him again, wasn't she?" came Jasper's voice from directly next to me. I realised that it was him who'd sat next to me and placed his hand on my shoulder. I didn't expect that.

"Yeah, I think so. She's having a really hard time, at the moment." Sero replied.

"I know. It hasn't been easy on her, especially seeing other couples together. I can feel the level of her grief increase every time she sees another couple express themselves. Even an embrace has her remembering him." Jasper replied softly.

"I can understand that it would. I mean, she's probably wishing at the moment that she still had that." Sero said, still rubbing my back – absent-mindedly now. Didn't they realise that I could still hear them?

"You know she can still probably hear you guys." I heard Alice's voice as the light footsteps told me she was walking over. "I wouldn't recommend talking about that with her there."

_Yes! Thank you Alice!_ I thought to myself, knowing she wouldn't be able to hear me, but not really caring.

"Sorry Kristen." Sero whispered to me, tightening his grip on me briefly.

"You're in love with her, Sero." Jasper said softly. Sero chuckled nervously.

"I suppose I forgot you could tell that." He said softly. "Yeah, I suppose I am." He sighed and Jasper laughed. I could also hear Alice's tinkling laugh.

"Don't worry, I know she feels the same way about you." Jasper told him in barely more than a whisper. Why were they talking in whispers now?

"And she's given up hiding that fact." Came Edward's voice. "If anything, she just wants the pain to end." He added, and I could hear his footsteps as he approached.

"I can't blame her for that one." Jasper muttered. I finally lifted my head out of Sero's amazingly still dry shirt. I'd half expected at least one tear to escape, but I also knew that logically that would never happen.

"I'm sorry Jasper. I know that my emotions have an effect on you." I said softly. I was right about it having been Jasper who'd sat beside me and placed his hand on my shoulder. Edward was standing a little less than a foot away, but Alice was only about ten centimetres away.

"There's no need for you to apologise, Kristen. I understand that you're going through a hard time." Jasper replied, smiling slightly. He still had his hand on my shoulder, and it was strengthening his calming effects.

"Thank you Jasper." I said softly. _Not only for the words, but also the calming effects._ I thought to myself. I saw Edward smile slightly. "And Edward, stay out of my head! You know I hate it when you do that!" I told him and he raised his hands out in front of him, taking a couple of steps back. I could hear Alice, Jasper and Sero chuckling near me.

"Sorry Kristen. It's kind of second nature to me." He said and I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever." I said, standing up and walking towards the stairs.

"Where are you going, Kristen?" Sero asked me, standing up and catching up to me.

"She's going to her room, Sero." Alice told him and he nodded.

"I suppose you can follow if you're really that worried about me becoming suicidal." I said softly, walking up the stairs and onto the first floor landing. I walked up the second flight of stairs and walked into my room, sitting on my bed, bringing my knees up to my chest and resting my chin on them. I felt Sero place his arms around me and pull me towards him and I sighed.

"You just wanted to be alone, didn't you?" he asked me and I nodded slowly. I could feel him loosening his grip on me, but I refused to let him release me from his grasp. So instead, I wrapped my arms tight around him and held him there.

"What I meant, Sero, was that I wanted to be alone from the others. I still want you to stay with me, because I love you. Edward was right when he said I'd given up hiding that fact." I whispered to him and his grip on me tightened again.

"I love you too, Kristen." He whispered into my ear. He released me and lifted my chin with his hand, so that I was looking into his eyes. "I know it may seem too soon for you, but I need you to know." He said, pressing his lips to mine, wrapping his arms tight around my waist.

I sighed inwardly, part of me wanting to pull away, but the rest of me wanting to continue. I felt his lips part mine gently, and I tightened my grip on him even more, so that if it had been a human in my arms, they'd have been crushed to death by now. I would let it go for a while, but I still needed to be vigilant, just to prevent it getting out of hand. He was right, it _was_ still too soon for me, but that didn't stop me continuing the kiss. I loved him, and I wanted him to know that.

When eventually I felt the kiss had gone far enough, I detached myself from him, laying my head on his chest.

"I'm sorry Kristen, I shouldn't have kissed you like that." He murmured and I sighed, not looking up.

"Don't apologise Sero. It's not your fault; and besides, I was kind of pleased that you had kissed me." I whispered in reply. I heard him breathing deeply, and I smiled.

"I love you." He whispered, kissing my hair briefly.

"You know I love you, too." I whispered in reply. He had one hand on my shoulder, and I felt him run his other hand from just under my arms down my side, past my hip and to my thigh. I looked up into his eyes, confused. "What were you doing, Sero?" I asked him and he tilted his head to one side.

"I was showing you that I love you." He replied.

"Are you sure you weren't trying to seduce me in the meantime?" I asked him and he sighed.

"Kristen, I wasn't trying to seduce you. I suppose that's my way of letting you know that I love you." He whispered. "I'm not going to try anything else until you say so."

"Thank you Sero. I suppose you just have a strange way of expressing love." I said softly and he chuckled.

"Although you are sexy." He whispered into my ear and I froze and stopped breathing.

"Why would you think that?" I asked without taking a breath. He sighed.

"You don't see yourself clearly, Kristen." He told me and I drew in a slow, cautious breath. I just realised that he sounded exactly like Carlisle when he said that.

He took a deep breath and sighed, taking my hand in his and leading me to the mirror in the corner of my room. He stood me directly in front of the mirror.

Looking back at me was a beautiful young woman, her light brown hair hanging down in light waves around her shoulders, her face was slightly rounded. This young woman had a rather nice figure, her body well proportioned. In the woman's dark honey-golden coloured eyes, however, was a sadness that caused the hole in my chest to flare up again. I knew this woman was me, and I turned away from the mirror, facing Sero.

"I do know what I look like, Sero." I said to him and he sighed deeply.

"Kristen, I am well aware that you know what you look like. I did that to show you that you are actually attractive, regardless how many times you say you aren't." He said to me.

"I know. I'm not denying that I'm beautiful – even attractive to men – but I still don't see why you would call me sexy." I said and he pulled me against him.

"Is there a reason that you don't see yourself clearly, Kristen?" he asked me and I sighed.

I told him the same thing I told Carlisle when he'd asked me that question, and by the end, Sero was looking concerned.

"Gee, your mother wasn't very nice, was she?" he asked me and I laughed softly, despite my pain. "Kristen, please just try to forget what your mother said. I couldn't care less if you hiked, and I don't see why any other guy would, either. Your mother was wrong on both accounts. That guy probably just rejected you because he was an ungrateful bastard. He obviously didn't know a good thing that was coming his way if it danced naked in front of him." He explained and I sighed, nodding as he held me against his chest, gently rubbing my back with his hand.

As it was currently Saturday, I wasn't required at the hospital for a couple of days, so I didn't need to concern myself with that. I'd already removed the stitches from the human man's hand, which was healing nicely, so I was done with him, and I was now free to relax. I looked at my watch. It was after eleven. I sighed; I was exhausted and for the first time since becoming a vampire, I felt as though I wanted to curl up in bed and go to sleep.

"Are you alright Kristen?" Sero asked me softly. We'd been sitting quietly on the edge of my bed for over an hour. "You look absolutely exhausted." He observed and I sighed, leaning against him.

"I am exhausted. I think, for the first time since being changed, I want to go to sleep." I replied, a note of slight surprise evident in my voice. Sero looked confused, but understanding at the same time.

"You're going through a lot. It's understandable that you're exhausted." He said, just as a knock sounded on the door. I sighed, detaching myself from Sero and opening the door. In the doorway – looking rather concerned – stood Carlisle.

"Are you alright, Kristen?" he asked me softly, placing his hand on my shoulder.

"I'll be alright Carlisle. I'm still finding it difficult, though." I replied softly, inviting him in.

"I wasn't interrupting anything, was I?" he asked softly and I sighed, rolling my eyes.

"No, you weren't. Don't worry." I replied and he smiled slightly, though the concern was still visible in his eyes.

"I'm sorry you're still finding it difficult, Kristen. We're all trying to make it a little easier on you." He said softly, sitting down on a chair in my room, as Freddie hopped up to him, sniffing his hand cautiously. He smiled.

"He remembers you, Carlisle." I noted and he chuckled, Sero and I joining in.

"It would appear to be so." He replied as Freddie looked around to see where all the noise was coming from.

"Come here Freddie." I said softly and he turned to look at me, before slowly approaching me. I gently patted his head, smiling slightly. "You're getting big, aren't you Freddie?" I asked the adolescent kangaroo softly, still gently patting him. "It won't be long before it's time we released you so you can be with other 'roos. And don't worry Freddie, we'll all miss you." I muttered to him softly and he tilted his head to one side, leaning up to sniff my hand. I could hear Carlisle and Sero chuckling in the background, but I ignored them.

Freddie was now so big that he had the entire third floor to get some exercise, coming into my room at night to sleep. He was a beautiful male Eastern Grey Kangaroo, fairly tall now, with beautiful grey-ish coloured fur. There were streaks of brown throughout his coat, as well as some streaks of black. The darker colours in his light coloured coat gave him almost a 'speckled' look. His appearance now contrasted strongly to when he was a baby at the time I'd adopted him. Back then, he was a tiny little creature, small enough to be held comfortably in two hands. He was still mostly pink, but just gaining his fur. His eyes were open and he was mostly fully developed (minus the fur), but he was still fully dependent on his mother and her milk.

"I think she's lost in thought." Came Sero's voice, sounding worried, bringing me slightly closer back to reality.

"Kristen? Kristen?" I heard Carlisle's voice next, close to me, and felt what I guessed to be his hands on my shoulders. I blinked a couple of times and he and Sero both sighed.

"Are you alright, Kristen?" Sero asked me and I sighed, nodding.

"I'm fine." I replied softly, still slightly dazed.

"What was going on?" Carlisle asked me, looking concerned.

"I was remembering Freddie's growth from when we first got him until now." I said and both men chuckled softly.

"You gave us a scare, there Kristen." Carlisle told me, looking relieved. "We thought for a second we were losing you."

"Sorry I worried you guys." I said softly, looking briefly into Carlisle's golden eyes, before looking quickly away again. Sero was looking confused.

"There's something between the two of you, isn't there?" he asked us and Carlisle sighed, backing off and sitting on the chair again.

"You caught us. Carlisle and I are...in love with each other, but we're refusing to let anything happen." I explained and Sero looked shocked.

"Does Esme know?" he asked Carlisle, who sighed, looking away, shame evident in his golden eyes.

"Not yet. Kristen and I are planning on telling her, but we're going to leave it until the year mark since...the incident, so it's easier on Kristen." Carlisle replied, not looking at him. I sighed, trying to avoid the pain I felt showing.

"Kristen, did...he know?" Sero asked me softly and I nodded slowly, also not looking at him. He sighed and pulled me closer to him.

"I'm sorry Sero, I know you love her." Carlisle said softly, looking up. "I'm not going to compete with you for her, but just know that my feelings for her aren't likely to change."

"I understand. Thank you for letting me know, Carlisle." Sero said softly and the corners of Carlisle's mouth turned up slightly in a small smile.

"And Sero, just so you know, my feelings for Carlisle aren't all that likely to change, either." I explained and Sero nodded.

"I understand that too, Kristen. Thank you both for being honest, though." He said softly, still holding me to his chest.

"It's not a problem Sero." Carlisle replied very softly, so he was almost whispering. "Kristen and I try to keep ourselves under control, but we have let slip slightly in the past. It's just to warn you in case it happens again in the future."

"Fair enough. Thank you again Carlisle." Sero said and the corners of Carlisle's mouth turned up slightly.

"Well, I think Sero's doing a rather good job at calming you down, Kristen, so I'm going to leave you guys to it. Call me if you need anything, though." Carlisle said eventually and Sero and I nodded. He walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

"You know Kristen, because you're so exhausted, why not go for a hunt? You look like you could use one – your eyes are getting darker in colour." Sero said to me softly, still holding me against his chest. I sighed, nodding as he and I stood up.

Together, we leapt out of the window and ran into the forest, leaping over the river that snaked through it. Sero kept his hand in mine the whole time, keeping close to me as we dodged the trees easily, leaping gracefully over the tree roots and rocks, and ducking under the low branches that threatened to smack us in the face. The cool night air rushed past us, and I felt a smile creep onto my face. I loved the outdoors, and I loved running. I always found it relaxed me and cheered me up. Sero could see my smile, because he laughed.

"Good to see you smiling, Kristen. Your whole face lights up when you smile." He said and I laughed with him. It seemed surprisingly easy, even though my wounds left behind by Rowan's passing were taking longer to heal than I first expected them to.

"Yeah, well the outside air feels great. I love the outdoors, they make me happy." I replied and he wrapped his arms around my shoulders.

"I love you Kristen. I hate seeing you upset." He whispered into my ear and I chuckled.

"I love you too, Sero. And I'm sorry that you have to see me upset, I know that it hurts you." I replied and we stopped running. He turned me so I was facing him, pulled me into his arms and pressed his lips to mine, parting them gently. It was obvious that he knew it was a bit too soon for me, but I knew he loved me. I was pleased, though, and it felt great having his lips caress mine, regardless of how soon it was for me.

Eventually, I pulled away, smiling slightly.

"Before you say a word, Sero, thank you for that. I'll admit that I needed it." I said to him and he smiled, kissing me again briefly.

"Let's go hunt." He said, checking his watch. "It's well after midnight." He added and I nodded as we sprinted deeper into the forest.

When we reached the densest part of the trees, he sprinted into the distance and I willed a kangaroo into my arms, draining it of its blood.


	55. Chapter 54: Repairing a Broken Heart

_Chapter 54: Repairing a Broken Heart_

Another month had passed, and Sero was continuing to keep a close eye on me at home, and Carlisle kept an eye on me at the hospital.

Natalie had now also been accepted a job at the hospital, so while the three of us were at the hospital, the vampires remaining at home watched the kids. However, as Natalie was still only within her first year as a vampire, she was still not immune to the scent of human blood, and we kept her away from that as much as possible. She did appear to cope quite well, however during the times when we couldn't keep her from the scent of blood. The shade of gold in her eyes would darken slightly with thirst, but she was able to keep herself in control enough to avoid letting slip.

Throughout the past month, my emotional wound had been healing very slowly, but Sero filled up the hole in my chest left behind when Rowan went. When he was around, I could no longer feel the pain from the wound, and Carlisle appeared to numb it, too. It was basically a win-win situation. Carlisle kept an eye on me at work, and Sero kept an eye on me at home. That way, my wound barely hurt.

I would be lying, however, if I said it had healed, or that it never hurt. I knew quite well that my wound had _not_ healed, and there were still times when it would hurt, regardless of the numbing effects that Sero and Carlisle had on me. I could feel the wound very gradually healing, though it would probably be several more years before it had completely healed, and probably several centuries after that before it stopped hurting completely. Thankfully I had all of eternity for this. If a human had this kind of brain capacity, and memory, they would be overwhelmed with emotion and memories. They would, however, never forget things like to pick up their keys from the table before leaving the house, or picking their kids up from soccer practice. However, if someone they loved passed away, it would take them the rest of their short lives before the pain ceased to exist.

At that moment, the phone in our office rang and Carlisle answered it, obviously knowing I was in my own little world again.

"Hello, Dr. Cullen speaking." he said into the mouthpiece.

"Dr. Cullen, we need you, Natalie and Kristen in the ER. A couple of patients have come in unconscious, with head wounds and possible spinal injuries." The person on the other end said and Natalie and I looked up at that point. I heard Natalie swallow hard. She was always dreading being near human blood, in case she did accidentally let slip.

"Thank you Wendy. We'll be right there." Carlisle said, hanging up and leading Natalie and I out of our office and into a lift, heading to the ground floor.

We arrived in the emergency room shortly afterwards, Natalie having to hold her breath because the scent of blood was extremely strong. Obviously when Wendy had said 'head wounds' she meant 'very severe head wounds'. The three of us walked forward towards the two unconscious patients, which were wearing neck braces. Carlisle and I treated their head wounds while Natalie timed their heart rates and breathing.

Both of the patients were male, and it appeared they'd been involved in a car accident. They looked young, probably no older than about 25 or 30.

"Were they brought here by ambulance?" Carlisle asked one of the nurses in the room – there was a grand total of 15 other emergency staff around the two patients, excluding Carlisle, Natalie and myself.

"Yes. Apparently they were in a single-car accident. The paramedics arrived to find their car wrapped around a traffic light pole." The nurse replied. Carlisle nodded, not looking up from treating the man's head wounds.

Eventually, while one man's heartbeat strengthened, the other weakened. The man whose heart had strengthened had now moved to a stable condition, but the other was still in a critical condition. We were all working flat-out to save the man's life, but there was only so much that even a whole team of medical staff could do.

"Careful, we're losing him." We heard one of the emergency staff call out, when the man's heart stopped. Although Carlisle, Natalie and I were able to hear the hearts of the other medical staff, the patient's heart that we'd been keeping a close eye on had stopped completely. Carlisle immediately began defibrillating the man, in the hope that we could somehow save him.

It soon became clear that we could save this man's life; his heart had restarted and was at what we could consider a normal strength heartbeat. Natalie sighed with relief. She was also now able to breathe a little easier, because the wounds on the two men had been dressed appropriately, so the scent of blood was lessened. Her eyes, however, showed a need to hunt. I bit my lip, knowing that she wouldn't be able to go until the second man went from a critical but stable condition to just a stable condition. This was a real problem.

"Just hold on a sec, Natalie. By the sounds of the man's heartbeat, it shouldn't take long for him to move to a stable condition, and then you can go hunt." I muttered to her as she and I worked alongside Carlisle and the emergency staff to get the man to a stable condition.

It took a few hours before the second patient went to a stable condition, but at about five-thirty that evening, we managed it. The patients were moved from the ER into the recovery ward, where they would receive the correct amount of care necessary for their condition.

"Thank you guys. We wouldn't have coped with both patients if you hadn't come." One of the nurses said.

"Well, you can thank Wendy for calling us." Carlisle said, smiling.

"I will, but thank you three for your help." He said as we headed upstairs to our office to get our things. It was now time to head home, and probably also time for a hunting trip.

Arriving home five minutes later, we sprinted out into the forest, Carlisle and Natalie running after their own prey while I willed a kangaroo into my arms.

We met up once again when we'd all finished hunting and ran back home, Natalie running upstairs to check on her sons, while Sero met me in the living room. Once again the dogs were playing, but this time the kids were with them. He looked up at me as I approached.

"How'd you go today, Kristen?" he asked me as I sat next to him and leaned against him. I explained everything that happened at the hospital, including the two car accident victims arriving in a critical condition.

By the time I was done, his eyes were wide.

"Wow, you're lucky you guys managed to save him." He said and I laughed.

"Yeah, well. Carlisle's had all the experience in the world, so he knew what he was doing." I shrugged and he laughed along with me. "So, enough about my day at the hospital. How was your day at the vet clinic?" I asked him and he tilted his head to one side.

"Not much happened, really. It was basically the same. A few consultations in the morning, middle of the day full of surgeries – most of which were castrations and spays, before some more consultations in the afternoon. Nothing much really happened." He said, before he seemed to remember something. "I think the most unusual thing that happened was a dog that had swallowed a cat toy. I don't think he was too happy when I had to anaesthetise him, because he struggled like mad. Thankfully it was like one of those little mouse-shaped toys that cats love. So Peter was able to grab it by the tail and drag it out of the dog's oesophagus." He added and we both laughed.

"That is the first dog I've ever heard of in my entire life that has swallowed a cat toy." I laughed and he chuckled.

"It's the same for me, Kristen. But, it was funny, as well as being potentially life-threatening for the dog." He replied, holding me close to him.

"Well yeah, but by the sounds of it, you and Peter managed to save its life." I said and he smiled as he pressed his lips to my head.

"Yeah, well...it all comes to knowing what you're doing. And Peter definitely does know what he's doing, when it comes to animals." He said to me softly as we watched Krystal and Devlin play with the dogs. Renesmee was nowhere to be seen, and Natalie's boys were still too young. At three months old, they physically looked about two or three years old. They were still growing quickly, but their growth would slow as they got slowly older. Krystal and Devlin's growth rate was already slowing, now that they physically looked about ten or eleven, when they were actually about two years old.

Looking at the time, I saw that it was six, so I stood up. Sero sighed, standing up with me.

"Krystal, Devlin, time to make your way to the dining room for dinner guys." He said and Krystal and Devlin looked up, stopped playing with the dogs and walked into the dining room, while Sero sprinted upstairs. I smiled as I walked into the kitchen, cooking a batch of chicken stir-fry for the kids.

Sero appeared shortly afterwards, and I could hear Nessie's footsteps leading into the dining room. Sero came up behind me, wrapping his arms around me, pressing his lips lightly to the side of my neck.

"How're you going?" he asked me and I smiled, turning my head and brushing my lips against his briefly.

"I'm okay Sero. Thank you for your concern, but I'm fine." I said softly while I continued to stir the food.

"That's good. I love you." He murmured into my ear and I smiled.

"I love you too, Sero." I replied in a whisper as I turned off the stove, serving the food onto three plates. Sero and I carried the plates out to the kids in the dining room and placed it in front of them.

"Thanks Mum. Thanks Uncle Sero." The twins chorused.

"Thank you Kristen and Sero." Nessie said and we smiled.

"No problems guys. And thank you Devlin, for cleaning up your act and putting your own plates into the dishwasher." I said scruffing up my adopted son's dark hair. "If you can keep it that way, you'll get a reward." I added and he grinned.

"Okay Mum." He said as he and the two girls began eating. I smiled as Sero and I left the room.

"You're doing a really good job with them, considering what you're all going through." Sero said to me and I threw my arms around him. He chuckled as he wrapped his arms around my waist, kissing my lips briefly.

"I love you Sero." I whispered as he led me upstairs.

"I love you too." He whispered in reply. "And don't worry, I will help you through this. I understand that you're going through a tough time, and I'm going to help you." He said, slightly louder, but the seriousness of his words audible in his voice. I smiled slightly.

"Thank you Sero. That means a lot to me." I replied as we arrived in my room. I sat down on the edge of my bed and he sat next to me, pulling me against him.

"And I will help you with the kids. They're obviously also having a tough time, and I will help you deal with them. We'll both help them cope, together." He told me and I nodded, still resting my head against his chest.

"Like a proper couple?" I asked softly and I heard his sharp intake of breath, before he stopped breathing completely. He sat as still as a statue, his arms still around me, but looking straight ahead. I sighed, pulling him into my arms. "If you want to call it that, though." I added, kissing his forehead briefly and he unfroze.

"Only if you're ready for us to be a couple. Yes, we're in love, but I'm not going to call us a couple until you say so. If you feel ready for us to be considered a couple, then we will, but if not then we'll wait." He said softly, finally taking a breath. I sighed, releasing him and lying back on my bed, my head resting on my hands.

"I suppose I feel ready to be considered a couple, but only in the really early stages." I said and he sighed, lying down next to me and pulling me against him.

"Fair enough." He said softly to me. "Shall I consider us to be a couple, then?" he asked and I chuckled softly.

"It's up to you. I can live with being a couple – supposing nothing too drastic happens too soon. I'm just a bit hesitant, because every man I've been in a romantic relationship with has ended up dead. First it was Derryn, who was killed when we were fighting the Volturi, which was like the government for vampires. Then Rowan went, and I don't know if it would be a good idea for us to be involved like this, because _you_ might be the next one to go, and I don't want to see you dead. That would really kill me." I explained softly and he tightened his grip on me, holding me so I was practically a part of him.

"I can understand your thinking on this, Kristen. But I think that we could try to make this work. I don't want you to be alone, and for that reason, I will do _everything_ in my power to make sure I survive for as long as is even physically possible. And I will make Carlisle and every other man living in this household _swear_ on their lives that they will look after you if I don't survive for any reason, whatsoever." He said firmly, a kind of tough edge to his voice that I'd never even known he had before now. It made his words that much more real to me, and I was glad.

"Thank you Sero. I just don't want to have you killed. I love you too much." I whispered and he sighed, pressing his lips to my forehead.

"I love you too, Kristen. And I _hate_ seeing you upset. I refuse to allow you to get hurt, as long as I can help it." He said, with that same strong edge to his voice and I smiled.

"Thank you." I whispered as I leaned closer to him.

We lay like that for a few hours, before I looked at the clock and saw that it was almost nine. I sighed, sitting up.

"Time to get the twins to bed, Sero." I said softly and he nodded as the two of us stood up a and walked out of the room, making our way downstairs to where the kids were once again playing with the dogs. Nessie was nowhere to be seen, but I could hear Edward and Bella saying goodnight to her two floors above.

"Come on guys, time for bed." Sero said to the kids, who hugged the dogs briefly before following us upstairs.

Sero and I led the twins into their room, where they each got into their own beds. I walked over and kissed each on the forehead, before heading back to the door.

"Goodnight guys." I whispered, my hand on the light switch.

"'Night Mum. 'Night Uncle Sero." The twins chorused softly as I turned out the light and closed the door quietly behind me as I left the room. Sero and I walked into my room, once again sitting on the edge of my bed.


	56. Chapter 55: What?

_Chapter 55: What!_

It was getting close to the year mark since Rowan passed away, that point now being about two months away. Carlisle and I had been spending time figuring out the best way to break the news to Esme about how we felt about each other. We were both well aware that it could easily turn into a fight between Esme and myself. Neither of us wanted it to get to that point, but we both knew that she could get very protective of Carlisle.

"I can't figure out why she would get that protective of me, though." He said to me one late Sunday afternoon as we were sitting in his study, across the desk from each other to keep ourselves in complete control. "I mean, it's not like you're trying to steal me from her." He added, looking confused.

"I know why, Carlisle. She doesn't realise that I'm not trying to steal you. She loves you, and I wouldn't put it past her to kill for you." I told him. "If I were her, I'd probably do the same thing. I'd listen to what you have to say first, but I'd still try to protect you as much as possible. I can guarantee that I'd be just as defensive of you as she tends to be." I explained and he inclined his head.

"I suppose you're right. I know that I'd do the same for her...or you, if necessary." He said with a small smile. "But I can kind of see what you're getting at."

"I'm glad you do. I'd expect you to understand." I replied, smiling at him. "But as to how we're going to tell her, I can't be so sure. We're both aware that she'd more than likely jump to the conclusion that I'm trying to steal you from her, and will probably attack me as a result. We just need to find a way to break the news to her gently, so that hopefully she won't." I said, my brows pulling together in confusion at how we'd tell Esme.

"Kristen, if she does attack you...I don't want you to think badly about her. She's a good person at heart, but she can get aggressive when she's defending those she loves." He said to me softly, looking concerned.

"Carlisle, I know that she's a good person at heart. I won't think badly of her if she attacks me. I'd actually understand why she's attacking me. I understand that she loves you, and doesn't want to see you get hurt...nor does she want to lose you." I said and he smiled.

"Thank you Kristen." He said softly, reaching across the desk and taking my hand (which was resting on the desk's surface) into his and squeezing it gently. "I love you. Please, never forget that." He added in a whisper and I smiled.

"I love you too. And don't worry, I won't forget." I replied in a whisper.

At that point, we heard a man yell "I can't believe you did that! You know that I'll have to tell your mother about this! That kind of behaviour is absolutely unacceptable!"

A few seconds later, a knock sounded on the door and Carlisle and I withdrew our hands rapidly, both of us looking confused and concerned.

"Come in." Carlisle called and the door opened to reveal Sero, holding Devlin firmly by the hand, looking almost furious. I stood up and walked quickly towards them.

"What's wrong, Sero?" I asked him. Sero sighed.

"I just caught him in the dingo pen, attacking the litter. Whenever their mother went to approach, he'd throw her away." He replied and my eyes widened as I knelt in front of my adopted son.

"You _what_, Devlin!" I asked him sternly, horrified that he would do such a thing.

"Are the dingoes alright, Sero?" I heard Carlisle ask Sero in concern.

"Unfortunately two of the pups didn't survive, and their mother is fairly seriously injured, but otherwise they're alright." Sero replied, still looking furious. I sighed, anger beginning to make itself known in my chest.

"Devlin, you _never_ attack the dingoes! Do you hear me!" I told Devlin firmly, holding his shoulders firmly in my hands. "Why did you do that?" I asked him, taking deep breaths to keep myself calm. Devlin was looking ashamed, and there were tears in the boy's eyes.

"I'm sorry Mum. I just...I was just feeling so angry from Dad dying, and I...the dingoes were annoying me with all their barking and growling, and I...I just wanted to make them be quiet." He said, tears leaking out of his eyes and he looked away. "I'm sorry Mum. I just really miss Dad." His voice broke as he finished and I sighed. I really couldn't watch the boy I'd raised as my own since birth like this. But I also knew that I couldn't just brush it off and forget about it. He'd killed two young dingo pups, and seriously injured their mother.

"Devlin, I understand you miss your dad. Believe me, so do I. But just because you feel angry about his death, you must not _ever_ take it out on an animal. I don't care if they're annoying you, you are _never, ever_ allowed to attack them. Come and talk to me, if you're feeling angry. Or go to Jasper. You know that he can help you. But please, Devlin, don't attack any of the animals again. They didn't do anything to deserve it, and two pups are dead now. Two baby dingoes are dead, and their mum is badly injured, now. Don't you feel bad now, because you've made the other pups sad by killing their siblings and injured their mum, haven't you?" I told him firmly, but gently at the same time, because I knew what the child was going through. He just nodded, tears running relentlessly down his cheeks.

"I...I'm sorry Mum." He said softly and I sighed, pulling him towards me.

"Devlin, listen to me, mate." Sero said softly, kneeling down next to us and placing his hand on Devlin's shoulder. Devlin looked up at him, his green eyes bloodshot with tears. "I understand that you're having a tough time at the moment, but your mum's right. You don't take it out on animals. If you ever feel that you want to hit something, which I understand that sometimes a boy feels that the only way to relieve anger is to do just that, but the next time you feel you want to hit something, you can come to your mum or me, or as she said, you can go to Jasper. You can beat us up until you're red in the face and it won't hurt us, but don't take it out on the animals. The dingoes aren't quite as strong as you are, mate. Nor is Freddie, and the puppies aren't either. We will help you. If you ever want a release for your anger, come to us people, not the animals." He explained softly to the child, who nodded, just as Carlisle knelt down nearby.

"Devlin, we're all going to help both you and your sister through this time. I understand that you miss your father, and we all want to help you. I don't think that violence would solve anything, though. You'd be far better off talking. And don't bottle up what you're feeling. If you want to cry, you can do so. It's natural to feel sad, but it's unhealthy for you to bottle it up. Eventually it'll burst out and you'll end up hurting not only yourself but others too." He explained softly and Devlin nodded again.

"Now I want you to apologise to Sero for your behaviour." I said to Devlin softly.

"Sorry Uncle Sero for attacking the dingoes." The boy said softly to Sero, who tightened his grip on Devlin's shoulder slightly.

"Thank you Devlin for your apology, and I hope you learned your lesson." Sero replied softly, removing his hand from the child's shoulder and standing up. I sighed.

"Devlin, because of your bad behaviour, I'm going to have to send you to your room until the morning. You'll just have to miss out on your dinner tonight, mate. I want you to think hard about your actions today, and you can come out in the morning." I said softly to my 'son', who nodded slowly, looking ashamed.

"Okay Mum." He said softly.

"Off you go, then." I said and he nodded as he walked out of the study. I followed him upstairs and into his room, where he got into bed. He'd had this kind of punishment before, so he knew what was expected. I sighed, kissing his forehead briefly, before walking out and closing the door behind me. Sero and Carlisle were waiting for me at the top of the stairs, looking concerned.

"Sero, you might want to show us the injured female." Carlisle said softly and Sero nodded as the three of us sprinted downstairs and out of the house. We ran into the dingo pen, closing the gate behind us, before kneeling by the injured female dingo. We could still hear her heart, so she was still alive, but she was laying very still, her breathing shallow. Her head was turned towards us, her wide brown eyes threatening us that though injured, she was still dangerous if we were to go anywhere near her pups. Sero sighed softly, kneeling next to her and patting her head gently.

"Where is she injured?" I asked softly as I also knelt by the dingo.

"I'm fairly sure she has four broken ribs, and her right thigh has been shattered. We'll need an x-ray done to know for sure, however, along with any other damage that may have been done." He replied and I nodded as I gently stroked her head.

"Good girl, just lay there. You're a good girl." I murmured softly to the dingo, which closed her eyes slowly and laid her head on the ground.

"Carlisle, could you please go over to the pups and move the two deceased ones?" Sero asked Carlisle while he worked to keep the female's bones in the correct positions. Carlisle nodded and, sighing, walked towards the litter and gently lifted the two limp pups into his arms. He walked away from the remaining pups, shaking off the other two intrigued adults, just as Peter ran over, kneeling by the injured female, looking concerned.

"What happened, guys?" he asked us and I sighed.

"Devlin got upset and attacked the pups, killing two, and whenever their mother went to approach, he threw her out of the way. I'm fairly sure there are four broken ribs, along with a shattered right thigh. Other than that, I can't be sure." Sero explained and Peter looked horrified and furious.

"Calm down Peter. I've had a talk to him, and he's being punished at the moment. He's sorry for attacking them." I said to Peter, who nodded, taking deep breaths to calm himself.

"She's going to hate us for moving her deceased pups, though." I said softly, indicating the now trembling female lying next to me.

"Yeah, but it's kinder this way." Sero replied in a soft voice. "Kristen, I'm going to need you to run inside and grab some tape, a splint and a bandage." He added to me and I nodded, standing up. "Carlisle, if you could please bury those two in the forest." He said sadly to Carlisle, who nodded. He was silent, but there was a sadness evident in his golden eyes that broke my heart.

Carlisle and I both ran out of the pen and went our separate ways. I ran into the house, sprinting upstairs and into my study, grabbing some medical tape, a splint and a bandage, which I then carried back to Sero and Peter, who were still kneeling next to the injured female. Handing them to Peter, I helped him splint the dingo's leg, bandaging the leg while he held the splint in place. With that, I gently lifted the animal into a standing position while he taped her chest to keep the possibly broken ribs in place. With that, he lifted her large body into his arms.

"We're going to need to get her to the clinic for an x-ray. Do you mind if we take her in your car?" he asked me and I nodded.

"What about the remaining pups?" I asked him, just as Carlisle returned.

"What's going on?" he asked us.

"Carlisle, could you please look after the pups while Kristen, Peter and I take their mother to the clinic for an x-ray?" Sero asked Carlisle and he nodded.

"Okay. I'll be here, waiting." He replied as Sero and I walked to the garage, placing the female dingo in the backseat on a blanket I'd draped over the seats, Peter sitting next to her in the back seat. Closing the rear door Sero and I got into the front, and I started the engine. I drove us onto the main road, following Peter's instructions to the vet clinic.

Arriving at the vet clinic five minutes later, the three of us carried the injured animal quickly into the building, where he led me into the x-ray room. Peter told me to put on a vest, and lay the animal on the bench.

"Make sure she's on her left side, Kristen." He said and I nodded. "Okay, hold her head down, and we'll get this going.

We had the x-rays shortly afterwards, and Sero placed them on a light box mounted on the wall.

"Hmm...Okay, right thigh definitely broken, but not necessarily shattered. Okay, I was wrong with the ribs, there are five broken ribs, as opposed to four. Thankfully no sign of any damaged organs. She is one lucky dog." He said and we all chuckled as he plastered the dingo's hind leg, and taped her ribs firmly in place. "She should be alright now, as long as she isn't disturbed too much. She needs her rest. I think you'd be alright to release the male and the other female, though." He said as we carried her back to the car.

"Okay, I'll get to that when we get back." I replied, starting the engine and driving home.


	57. Chapter 56: Defensive

_Chapter 56: Defensive_

Two months later, one Wednesday evening when Carlisle, Natalie and I had arrived home from work, Carlisle and I went to find Esme and take her to a clearing nearby. We didn't want the entire family to know, but she was a must. Carlisle knew that, but I could tell he was worried.

While we were looking for Esme, I placed my hand on his shoulder.

"You're looking worried, Carlisle." I noted softly. "What's worrying you?" I asked him and he sighed deeply.

"Kristen, I have a bad feeling that she's going to get aggressive, and I don't want to see you two in a fight." He replied in a whisper.

"Carlisle, don't worry; we'll do what we can to prevent a fight." I assured him and he nodded slowly.

We found Esme a minute later, just on her way back to the house after a hunt. She stopped when she saw us.

"Welcome home guys." She said, then noticing our grim expressions. "What's wrong?" she asked us, now sounding concerned.

"Esme, we're going to need you to follow us for a moment, please. We need to have a talk to you." Carlisle said to her softly, his eyes not quite meeting hers.

Esme followed us, looking confused, to a clearing about a few minutes' run from home. We stopped in the clearing, Carlisle and I refusing to look at each other or her.

"What's going on, guys?" she asked us and Carlisle sighed softly.

"Esme, I don't want you to get the wrong idea, and please don't jump to any conclusions, but Carlisle and I have...fallen in love." I explained softly and I heard a snarl rip up her throat. She sprinted towards me and placed her hand hard on my throat.

"If you're trying to steal my husband, Kristen, you'll have to kill me first." She whispered dangerously, tightening her grip, but I force-broke her grip on my throat, leaping a few feet away, my hands held out in front of me.

"Esme, listen to me!" I told her firmly. "I'm not trying to steal him from you!"

It would appear that my words had no effect on her, whatsoever. She leapt at me again and I was forced to dodge. I didn't want to fight her, but I obviously now had no choice, because she was becoming very aggressive.

"Esme, stop this!" Carlisle shouted at her, standing between us to stop Esme attacking me. It appeared, however, that she was now too infuriated to even listen to her husband, because she knocked him out of the way. Losing his footing, Carlisle fell to the ground, getting to his feet quickly and running to stand between us again.

"Carlisle, don't bother trying to stop her. She's too far gone for that." I told him, still dodging Esme's attacks. Carlisle stopped in his tracks, obviously torn between stopping the fight and doing as I said. "Trust me Carlisle; you're only going to get yourself injured if you try to stop her." I said softly as I passed him and he sighed.

"Then get Jasper here, Kristen, so he can calm her down." He told me and I nodded.

As soon as Esme leapt at me, I grabbed her wrist and threw her across the clearing, leaping into a tree. I needed to concentrate if I wanted to get Jasper onto the scene. I willed Jasper onto the branch, just as the tree collapsed underneath us and we both leapt out of the branches to avoid being crushed underneath the tree.

"What's going on, Kristen?" Jasper asked me as I continued to dodge and weave, Esme missing me by an inch every time.

"Jasper, we need you to calm her down. I'm sure you've noticed a change in Kristen's and my emotions whenever we were near each other. We tried explaining it to Esme, but she leapt to the wrong conclusion and attacked Kristen." Carlisle explained quickly, and Jasper nodded as a wave of calm washed over everyone in the clearing. Esme stopped attacking me and Carlisle immediately ran forward and grabbed both her wrists, holding them behind her to prevent her attacking me again. I sighed, looking away from everyone.

"Okay Esme, now would you please let us explain everything before you come to any conclusions?" Carlisle asked his wife softly, but firmly.

"Alright." She said, almost unwillingly.

"As we'd already said before, Esme; Carlisle and I are in love with each other. We're careful not to let anything happen, but we decided that we should tell you, so that you're aware of it. I am _not_ attempting to steal him from you. He's your husband, and I understand that you don't want to lose him. We discovered our feelings for each other around the time that Sero was bitten, but we weren't sure how to explain it to you and...Rowan." I explained, hesitating on Rowan's name. Although it was now a year since he'd gone, it still hurt to say his name. I took a deep breath to keep myself in control. "And then he passed away unexpectedly, and Carlisle wanted me to get through the first year before we told you, so it would be easier on me emotionally. I'm sorry, I know we should've told you earlier, but unexpected circumstances kind of delayed it." I said softly and she nodded. Jasper's ability was obviously working wonders on her, because she was still amazingly calm.

"Thank you Kristen, for explaining it to me. Was Rowan aware of it, though?" she asked me softly, saying Rowan's name somewhat casually. I sighed.

"He was, but he'd figured it out, himself." Carlisle replied softly to spare me having to explain it and end up hurting myself; he was still holding her wrists firmly.

"Jasper," Esme said suddenly a minute later, turning towards Jasper, who'd remained completely silent throughout the whole explanation. Jasper looked up, his eyes flicking towards Carlisle, who still had a grip on Esme's wrists. "Did you know about this?" she asked him and his breathing faltered slightly. He looked at Carlisle for help. I saw Carlisle nod once and Jasper sigh. He took a deep breath, before beginning his explanation.

"I could feel their emotional atmospheres change whenever they were around each other. I knew they had feelings for each other, but I didn't want to get involved, if possible. I was trying to stay out of it, because I knew it was none of my business." He said and Esme nodded, still surprisingly calm.

"Okay, thank you Jasper. Carlisle, Kristen, I need to ask the two of you if anything actually happened between you." She asked Carlisle and I and we sighed.

"You can go now, if you want Jasper." Carlisle said softly to Jasper, who shook his head.

"No, it's alright. I'll stay, just in case she gets aggressive again. We don't want any injuries." Jasper replied and Carlisle nodded.

"Esme, to answer your question, Kristen and I have done everything in our power to ensure that nothing happened between the two of us. There were, however, two occasions that we'd lost control and kissed each other briefly. I promise that nothing more than that happened between us." He explained to Esme, who nodded slowly. I was surprised that she was still completely calm, considering Jasper's effects had worn off. Carlisle, seeing this, released her wrists, but stood ready in case she became aggressive again.

Esme thought about it for a while, sitting on the ground while she did so.

It took a while, but eventually she stood up again, sighing and looking apologetic.

"Kristen, I'm sorry I became aggressive towards you; I'd assumed that you were attempting to steal Carlisle from me, and I wanted to protect him as much as possible." she said softly to me and I nodded, smiling slightly at her.

"I understand, Esme. Thank you for your apology, though." I said softly. "I'm sorry things turned out this way, Esme. I promise that I will make sure that nothing happens between Carlisle and myself." I told her and she smiled slightly in return to mine.

"Thank you both for explaining it to me, though." She said softly, looking both apologetic and ashamed, and Carlisle and I nodded once.

"No problems, Esme. Being Carlisle's wife, you have a right to know." I replied.

"Actually Kristen, considering you and Sero are involved, technically he has a right to know as well, doesn't he? Or does he already know?" she asked and I sighed.

"Sero knows, but like Rowan, had figured it out, himself when he'd seen the way Carlisle and I got along." I explained to her softly and she nodded. "Once again, Esme, I really am sorry that things turned out this way. I know you should've been told sooner, but it was delayed by unforeseen circumstances." I added and she smiled.

"That's okay Kristen. I understand. At least you explained it to me, though. It's better being told later than never." She said and I smiled. I could also see Carlisle smiling slightly.

"We'd better get back to the house, now." He said softly, and the four of us walked back in the direction of home.

_**AN:** yes, I know I'm dragging this story on and on. I'm just absolutely hopeless at finishing a story, so by the time I get bored of it, there'll probably be over 100 chapters. Please bear with me, though. I'm loving all the reviews! And sorry it's taken a while for me to move on from Chapter 46. Chapter 57 is now about halfway done, too!_


	58. Chapter 57: True Colours

_**Disclaimer:**__ Warning: this chapter contains adult content and strong suggestive themes, and therefore is not suitable for people under the age of 15._

_Chapter 57: True Colours_

Over the few months after Carlisle and I had told Esme about our feelings, it was clear that she was keeping a close eye on us. To be completely honest, although it got a bit annoying at times, I was glad she did. This way nothing could happen, and we could prevent anyone's hearts being broken. Especially because mine still had yet to heal in the first place.

It was now Monday, but Carlisle had called the hospital and explained that he, Natalie and I weren't able to come in. We were all sitting in the living room, Sero holding me against his chest while I looked absent-mindedly out the window. The sun was shining brightly today, and the rays reached our skin. I could see sparkling everywhere, from every person in the house, as well as a slight sparkling escaping the dogs' fur. I smiled slightly. This was a very relaxing point in time, and I could tell the weather was warming up. People could now be seen wearing t-shirts and shorts. It was obviously getting close to summer. Spring this year was colder than normal, but I supposed that was just Victoria. I mean, here in Victoria, you could get all four seasons in one day – it could be sunny and warm one minute, then the sky completely covered in cloud and freezing temperatures the next. Not that I really felt the temperature, but even then, I could see the humans reacting to the sudden fluctuations in temperature. I swear, if I'd lived here when I was human, I probably wouldn't have left home without my bikini and a parka – even in winter!

Finally coming out of my relaxed daze, I realised that the television was switched onto the news, and Carlisle was watching intently, everyone else relaxed. I could see Jasper and Emmett talking to each other – probably betting on something – while Rosalie and Alice discussed fashion. Esme was cleaning – her usual task – and Peter, Matthew and William were playing cards. Natalie was playing with all the children and dogs, while Edward and Bella watched on, obviously amused. Jacinta, Kat and Anouk were discussing homework, and Elizabeth and Josh were on the phone to their father and brother. While everyone else was doing their own thing, I sat quite comfortably leaning against Sero's chest, my head resting on his shoulder. I sighed softly, closing my eyes, wishing it were possible for me to fall asleep. I was so exhausted at the moment, and this peaceful moment would have made any human fall asleep.

Eventually, I heard Carlisle sigh and stand up. Opening my eyes, I saw him walk upstairs. I guessed he was heading to his study. Smiling slightly when Sero pressed his lips to my hair, I closed my eyes again, still listening to my surroundings with interest.

"...And in breaking news today, two Melbourne families were found dead in their living rooms. The Rush family, consisting of 47 year old, Bob Rush, 45 year old Judy Rush and their four children, 16 year old Kate, 12 year old Felicity, 9 year old Ashley and 3 year old Chris, were found lying in their Eastern Suburbs home. Meanwhile, the Prince family, consisting of 35 year old John Prince, 32 year old Leanne Prince, along with their three children, 14 year old Lisa, 13 year old Zayne and 14 month old Rachel, were also all found dead in their Western Suburbs home. We'll have the details after this short break." I heard the news reporter and froze completely, slowly opening my eyes and looking at the TV screen, where an ad for vacuum cleaners was playing.

"Carlisle! You might want to come down here and listen to this!" Sero called upstairs, his voice sounding strangely tight. Carlisle was instantly downstairs, looking concerned. Jasper and Emmett were also paying close attention.

"What's wrong, Sero?" Carlisle asked Sero softly.

"Two Melbourne families have been found dead in their living rooms. One was in the Western Suburbs, and the other was in the Eastern Suburbs." Sero explained softly and Carlisle sat down, his lips tight. The last ad finished at that point and the news came back on.

"Welcome back, and we now have some details regarding the two families found dead in their living rooms. We'll cross live to Will Strife for the details." The news reporter said and a man appeared on the screen. I could tell the entire family was crowded around, watching intently.

"Will Strife here, reporting live from the quiet street in Footscray, where the Prince family were found murdered in their living room late this morning. Police have yet to release many details about this, but they have said that all five members of the family were found to have wounds to their throats, and there's blood all over the room. The residents of this quiet street are all shocked to hear of the family's deaths. One resident is here with us now. Shirley, how do you feel about this murder?" the man asked a woman with short grey hair.

"It's appalling!" the woman exclaimed, obviously horrified. "The Prince family were loved by all; they were all so caring and considerate. Who would do such a thing to these lovely people?"

"I don't know, Shirley. You witnessed the last part, so could you please explain to us what you saw?"

"I didn't see much – their curtains were drawn a bit. There was only a small gap to see through and it was dark in the room. I heard the screaming when I was tending to my garden, and came running to see if I could help. I knocked on their door, but didn't get an answer, so I went to their living room window to see if there was anyone inside. I saw some struggling going on inside, before everything went still, but the culprit was still standing there with his back to the window." The woman explained her voice breaking. "I didn't see who it was, but it was definitely a man in the room. He didn't appear to be holding a weapon, so I'm not sure how they copped wounds to their throats."

Everyone was stunned into silence when they heard this. No one was even breathing. I knew we were all thinking along the same lines: _An entire family, murdered in their own living room! Wounds to their throats and blood strewn across the room, all without a murder weapon?_

"You didn't happen to see a vehicle the culprit could've gotten away in?" the man asked.

"No, he didn't appear to have any getaway vehicle. And no one else's cars went missing, either. He probably got away on foot, but I can't think how, without being caught." The woman replied softly.

_No getaway vehicle!_ This was starting to sound more and more like they were attacked by a vampire.

"Thank you Shirley. This is Will Strife, reporting live. Back to you, Ann." The man said, once again facing the camera, before he disappeared and the news reporter was back.

"Thank you, Will. Meanwhile, Police in the Hallam area, in the Eastern Suburbs have released some more details regarding the Rush family murders. Like the Prince family, the Rush family were all found to have wounds to their throats, with blood strewn across the entire room. No murder weapon has been found, and according to reports from witnesses, there was no getaway vehicle used by the culprit to escape. The Rush family were all killed in quick succession, between 9am and 10.30am this morning. The Prince family were also killed in the same fashion, and between approximately 9am and 11am this morning. Police think that the crimes are related, and they suspect gang activity, but are unsure how both families were killed at around the same time in two different areas. Police from both areas are also asking for anyone else who may have information on these two crimes, including the possible identity of the killer, to please come forward. As no one saw his face, identification is difficult, but witnesses all say that he is of a light build, has pale skin, short dark hair and appeared to be wearing blue cut-off jeans and a black singlet. Anyone with information, please call Crime Stoppers. This is Ann Walker, ABC News." The news reporter explained, before the news finished. Carlisle turned the television off with very slow, deliberate movements. No one spoke, or even breathed, for a very long time.

After about five minutes of absolute silence other than the heartbeats and breathing of the children and half-vampire puppies, we heard Emmett sigh deeply.

"Well, by the sounds of that, it was a vampire that killed those two families." He said softly and Jasper nodded once.

"Not just one, though. By the sounds of it, there was more than one vampire involved. And it was sloppy, which indicates newborns were behind this. They haven't been taught properly. If they'd been taught properly, they would've disguised the victims' bodies so they're no longer recognisable. And they'd dispose of them better, as well." Jasper explained, in the same soft tone that Emmett had used.

"I think we should leave it for now, and only interfere if it gets too close to our area." Carlisle said softly, his voice as tight as it had been when he'd found out that Helen had come to Australia to kidnap Esme.

"Carlisle, don't you think we'd better explain to them that they're risking exposing our kind to the humans unless they dispose of the bodies better?" I asked softly and he sighed.

"If we do that, Kristen, we'd be risking a fight. I don't know about you, but I'm sick of fighting newborns." Alice said softly to me and I inclined my head.

"I know, so am I. I just don't think that we should just sit here and let this go on, especially if they're risking the exposure of our kind." I replied and she nodded.

"If we had more information about the killer, I'd be able to look into their future to see their decisions." She told us, her eyebrows pulled together in frustration.

"I know, but we don't have that kind of information. So, instead, we'll just have to track their movements via the news. If people start dying in our area, we'll have to step in and stop them. This will probably mean a fight, but there're only certain things that we can control, even as vampires." Carlisle explained in barely more than a whisper. His features showed signs of stress, and his lips were tight. I knew he hated hearing about people dying, especially being a doctor. I felt pretty much the same way, but I was slightly less sensitive to it.

"If it does mean a fight, Carlisle, then so be it. I'll be waiting in the wings and if it turns into a fight, I'll take them." Emmett said, flexing his huge muscles and everyone smiled slightly at his bravery...or was it stupidity?

"I think its more stupidity than bravery, Kristen. But I suppose that's just him." Edward whispered to me, leaning against the back of the sofa I was sitting on. Emmett grimaced and we all laughed.

"I did hear that, Edward." He growled. "How about we see who's stronger?"

"In what way would you like to compare our strength, Emmett?" Edward asked him, that crooked smile on his face again. "A duel or an arm wrestle?"

"Arm wrestle. Now. In the clearing." Emmett said and Edward chuckled.

"Well, I suppose I _could_ get Bella to arm wrestle you again." He said slowly and Emmett flinched. Everyone laughed again.

"Why is Emmett scared of arm wrestling Bella?" Sero whispered to me. I shrugged.

"It's actually because he did once, a few years ago when she was still a newborn vampire. She defeated him easily. He hasn't recovered since." Carlisle whispered in reply and the three of us laughed.

"No Edward. I said _you_ arm wrestle me, not Bella." Emmett said, sounding remarkably like a frustrated child. "Or would you prefer an actual fight?" he asked, his mouth turning up in an evil grin.

"I suppose an actual fight wouldn't hurt." Edward said as the two of them walked out into the forest. The rest of us followed, and I heard Sero and Matthew snickering behind me.

"Ten bucks says Emmett gets him down." Sero muttered and Matthew snickered again.

"You're on." Matthew muttered in reply and I sighed, shaking my head slowly.

We reached the clearing shortly afterwards and Emmett attacked Edward. Obviously reading his thoughts, Edward dodged easily. Emmett, not to be dissuaded, leapt at him again, this time not giving enough time to dodge. He managed to grab hold of Edward's arm and threw him across the clearing, causing him to hit a tree. The tree collapsed under him, but before he could get to his feet, Emmett was already there and grabbed his arm again. Edward used his other hand to force-break Emmett's grip, throwing him down, instead.

It continued for almost an hour with Edward dodging Emmett's attacks and Emmett occasionally managing to catch Edward's wrist, but Edward force-breaking his grip.

Finally, however, Emmett managed to grab both of Edward's arms, holding them behind him. Edward kicked out, but Emmett threw him across the clearing and pinned him, with his teeth at Edward's throat.

"I win." He laughed as both got to their feet and I saw Matthew pass a ten dollar note to Sero, who was grinning like a lunatic. Edward was grimacing with obvious humiliation at losing.

"Yes Emmett, you won." Edward grumbled in reply, walking away.

The rest of us walked back to the house after him, Sero with his arm around my waist, and I could see Peter watching us with a strange expression. It was almost a mix between envy and another emotion that I couldn't quite understand. Sero, seeing where I was looking, looked around and made a strange sound that sounded something like a cross between a sigh and a chuckle. I looked at him, one eyebrow raised.

"I think he's in love with you, Kristen. I think he's wishing it was him with his arm around your waist, and not me." He whispered to me and I smiled slightly.

"Well, the feeling isn't mutual. If he's seeing me in that way, I can quite safely say that I don't have the same feelings for him." I replied in barely even a whisper, to make sure Peter couldn't overhear us. Although I didn't have any feelings for him, I didn't want to hurt him. The family was too important to me for that.

We arrived back in the house, and Sero and I walked upstairs, sitting on the double bed in my room.

"Are you alright?" he asked me softly and I sighed, lying back on the bed.

"I'll be okay, Sero. I just really miss Rowan, that's all." I replied and he sighed, lying next to me and pulling me into his arms. He tightened his grip so that I was right up against him, our bodies almost intertwined. I sighed and relaxed in that position, my head resting on his chest, listening to every breath he took. It was a shame there wasn't a heartbeat in his chest that I could listen to, which probably would've comforted me more, but this would have to do.

"I'm sorry Kristen. I really wish there was a way we could've saved him. Mainly for your sake." He said softly and I smiled slightly.

"Sero, if there was a way he could've been saved, you and I wouldn't be together. In a way, there was one good thing that came out of his passing." I told him and I heard him chuckle softly. "In a way, his passing was like a blessing in disguise."

"I suppose you're right, but I just don't like seeing you in pain. It kills me to see you in pain." He replied, and I felt him press his lips to my hair. Holding my breath, I looked up and kissed his lips gently, but I didn't get a chance to pull away, because he tightened his grip on me, moving one hand so that he was holding my head in place.

Eventually, his intentions became obvious, especially when he placed his hand on my waist, under my shirt, moving it gently up my back. I sighed inwardly, my fingers getting tangled in his shoulder-length brown-black hair. In a way, it was too soon, but I didn't care at the moment. In all honesty, I actually wanted him just as much as he obviously wanted me at the time.

He eventually moved so that I was on my back and he was leaning over me, beginning to remove my shirt as he did so.

It wasn't long before we were completely undressed, and he moved so that he was actually lying on top of me, now chewing on my collar bone.

We parted after about half an hour and he pulled me into his arms, kissing my lips briefly.

"I'm sorry Kristen. I know that was too fast for you." He murmured and I sighed.

"Don't worry Sero. I did actually enjoy that, even if it was a bit too soon." I replied, pressing my lips briefly to the arch of his throat, before pulling away and standing up, getting dressed again. He sighed, doing the same, before he sat on the end of the bed and pulled me towards him so I was sitting on his lap. I smiled slightly, leaning back against his chest, my head resting on his shoulder, leaving my throat exposed. "I love you, Sero." I whispered, turning my head and pressing my lips against his throat.

"I love you too." He murmured softly, pressing his lips to my hair.

After about another five minutes, I stood up, turning my head so I was looking directly at him.

"We'd better feed the kids." I said and he nodded, sighing as he stood up and followed me out of the room.

"Krystal, Devlin," he called. "Time for dinner, guys."

I heard the patter of two sets of feet as Krystal and Devlin walked towards the dining room and smiled. I walked into the kitchen and began cooking, Sero staying with me the entire time.

As soon as the kids had their meal, Sero and I walked into the living room, sitting on the sofa, Sero pulling me against him. Carlisle was in there, watching the news again, obviously to see if there was any more on the two Melbourne families killed earlier on that day. He looked up as we sat down, chuckled softly and shook his head as he turned to face the TV screen again. It was obvious he knew that something had happened between Sero and I, and I sighed. In a way, I was somewhat guilty, but at the same time, I was glad it did happen. All those times that Sero had told me that he loved me, that one point in time made the words so much more real to me.

"Kristen, I think he knows." Sero breathed into my ear and I nodded.

"I know." I replied in barely even a whisper.

"You two know I can still hear you, don't you?" Carlisle asked us, turning to look at us again.

"We know Carlisle. And I think you also know about…" I said softly and he inclined his head, half smiling.

"Don't worry, I didn't walk in on you." He assured us and Sero, who'd stiffened slightly, relaxed. "I figured that was the case, when you two disappeared without a trace for over half an hour. Although, I _could_ hear you…I ignored it as much as possible, though. That's part of the reason I turned the television on." He explained and I swallowed hard, my insides clenching. He'd _heard_ us? Oh crap, now I was feeling really guilty.

"Sorry Carlisle, I know that you love her." Sero whispered, looking ashamed.

"Don't apologise. I will admit that I was feeling a little envious, but I'm married. I shouldn't even feel this way. Unless you forced her, Sero, it's entirely your decision, and I can't have a say in it. By the sound of it, though, you didn't force her." Carlisle replied and I stopped breathing. I was now very embarrassed: not only had he heard us, but now he was talking openly with us about it. Um…help, please? "And sorry Kristen, I didn't mean to embarrass you." He added, looking at me with what was subtly, but unmistakably, love. At that point, my heart nearly started up again, and I stopped breathing completely, dropping my eyes so I was looking at my knees.

"What's going on?" came Esme's voice as the owner walked into the room, sitting next to Carlisle on the sofa, in a very possessive manner.

"Nothing, we were just talking." Sero replied softly and she nodded. Carlisle, though not having moved his head, was looking away, and I was still staring at my knees in embarrassment.

"Fair enough." She said, standing up and walking away. As soon as she was out of earshot, he sighed, chuckling softly.

"There you go guys, I saved your skins from her." He whispered to us and Carlisle and I both laughed, finally looking at each other briefly.

"Well, she is now aware, Sero. You don't have to pretend that Kristen and I don't see each other in the way that we do." Carlisle told him and he shrugged.

"I figured that you'd told her by now, but I didn't want her to figure out what we were actually talking about." He replied and Carlisle smiled.

"Thank you Sero. You know that you don't have to protect us like that. Because, with all rights, we shouldn't even feel this way towards each other." He said softly and Sero shrugged again.

"Just because I don't have to, doesn't mean I don't want to. I can actually see that your pain causes her pain. I saw that the first time that I met you. And if I protect both of you, it prevents either of you ending up hurt. In a way, I'm probably only trying to protect Kristen, but you're a part of her heart, and I know I can't change that. If the truth be told, in order for me to completely protect her, I'd need to protect you too, anyway." Sero explained and Carlisle smiled again, nodding understandingly.

"Thank you. Not for protecting me, but for protecting her. I realise I've become a part of her heart, but she's become a permanent part of my heart, and seeing her hurt kills me internally. Esme just doesn't realise it yet, that's all." Carlisle said softly and Sero sighed.

"I know. I think, though, that she's subconsciously aware of it, and that's why she's acting so possessive of you." He replied and Carlisle chuckled.

"I can sort of understand why, though. I mean, I'd probably do the same thing." I shrugged. "Seriously, it's not like you can blame her." I added and Sero and Carlisle chuckled.

"I suppose you're right." Sero sighed.

"Just like you always are." Carlisle added, chuckling and I rolled my eyes.

"Carlisle, I'm not actually always right. I'm wrong a fair bit, too." I told him and he smiled, turning back to face the television, his expression becoming serious. The news mentioned the Melbourne murders again, this time only briefly, and I saw Carlisle's face twist with obvious pain at the thought of the deaths. I knew it was still killing him internally to hear that two families had been killed by a group of newborn vampires. I sighed, standing up and grabbing the remote, turning the television off. Carlisle looked up and I sighed.

"I could see the pain on your face while you were watching, and I decided that it was better if you didn't watch the news at this point in time." I explained and he nodded, smiling slightly.

"Thank you Kristen." He said softly, standing up and, briefly placing his hand on my shoulder, walked out of the room and upstairs. I sighed, sitting once again next to Sero and leaning against him as he placed his arm around my waist.

"Are you alright?" he asked me softly, kissing my forehead gently.

"I'm alright. But I hate seeing him upset, as you've obviously already noticed." I replied.

"I know. I wish there was more I could do, though. I hate seeing _you_ upset." He whispered into my ear and I smiled.

"Thank you." I whispered in reply, kissing his lips briefly.

Carlisle, Natalie and I arrived home from the hospital a week later to see a very worried-looking Esme.

"Carlisle, the vampires have struck again. This time a family just northeast of Melbourne, in the Eildon area. Apparently, the dead included a single father and his two young children." She told her husband, whose breath caught in his throat as he sprinted into the living room.

"Was it on television, or the papers?" he asked her, his voice tight. Natalie and I looked briefly at each other as we followed him at a walk. We were both thinking the same thing: _If the vampires attacked a family in Eildon, that means they're getting closer to us. Do they know we're here?_

"It was in the paper. That means they're getting closer to our area. Do you still think we should lie low until they reach us, or intercept them now, while they're still closer to the Melbourne area?" Esme asked him softly and he sighed.

"Carlisle, you do realise that if people start dying in this area, the humans are going to immediately turn to us as the culprits, because of their natural deterrence to our kind." I said and Carlisle sighed, sadness and indecision evident in his eyes, which literally tore my heart out of my chest.

"Carlisle, Kristen's right. I know you don't like the idea of intercepting them if it would mean a fight but there's only so much that we can do to avoid that." Came a male voice as Jasper walked over, looking serious, but concerned. "We can try talking to them rationally and calmly, to explain that they need to disguise and dispose of the bodies better, and ask them to please not hunt in our area. If we try that, we can hope that it doesn't turn into a fight." He added. Carlisle sighed.

"I'm not sure." He said softly and I sighed, turning away. I couldn't watch any more; Carlisle's pain was almost literally tearing my heart out of my chest and tearing it into thousands of pieces. I felt a wave of calm wash over me and instantly knew Jasper was keeping my emotions in check. Looking up, I smiled at him as a way of thanking him. He smiled in return, beginning to walk away.

"Have a think about it, Carlisle, and let us know when you decide." He said, before sprinting out into the forest. I sighed, just as Sero walked through the door with Peter. They saw our grave expressions and sprinted over, looking concerned.

"What's going on?" Sero asked, placing his arm around my shoulders.

"Another family has been found dead, this time in the Eildon area. The details match that of the first two inside Melbourne. The vampires are getting closer to us." Esme said softly and Peter gasped in horror.

"We have to stop them. We need to at least talk to them, and let them know not to hunt in our area." He said and Carlisle sighed.

"I understand that. But…I'm not entirely sure what to do. If we leave it a while longer, people will start dying in our area, but if we act now, we'd be risking a fight. What can we do, that won't be risking either?" he asked and I sighed.

"We could always move away…but people would still die. I see your dilemma, Carlisle." Sero said softly, his brows pulling together in concern and confusion.

"I think we should wait a bit and see their movements. I think that if anyone is killed anywhere within a 50 kilometre radius of this house, we move in and intercept them. How does that sound, Carlisle?" I suggested, looking directly at Carlisle.

"But what about the towns between Eildon and the 50 kilometre mark? People are more than likely to be killed there." Carlisle asked me and I thought for a moment.

"Carlisle, we can only do so much to avoid people dying, and vampires do need to feed occasionally. I think Kristen's idea is fairly sane, and probably the only option we have right now." Peter told Carlisle, who sighed.

"Okay. We'll see how we go." He agreed grudgingly.

"I understand that it's a difficult decision, Carlisle, but it's one that has to be made." I said softly as I turned to walk out of the room. I needed to feed the kids. "Sero, would you mind getting the kids to the dining room for dinner and feed the pups?" I asked Sero, who nodded as he ran out of the room, while I followed at a walk.


	59. Chapter 58: Damn It!

_Chapter 58: Damn it!_

Life continued on as normal over the next couple of weeks, but the entire family knew that the possibility of the vampires moving closer and closer to Mt. Benambra was very high.

Our fear was confirmed one Saturday afternoon, when the news reported that three people had been killed in Mansfield.

"…Three people, including 49 year old Patricia Wilson, 31 year old Sean Cooper and 20 year old Tom Lenner were found dead early this morning. All three were found to have wounds to their throats, but no murder weapon has been found. Furthermore, what has police stunned is that although their wounds were deep and had definitely severed the jugular vein and carotid artery in each of their throats; none of the wounds were bleeding. The cause of death was the wounds. There was no sign of abuse suffered by the victims, and police suspect the same gang that murdered the Rush family and the Prince family in Melbourne three weeks ago, and the Hanson family in Eildon two weeks ago are involved in this case as well. Anyone with any information on who could've done this, please call Crime Stoppers." The news reporter announced solemnly and everyone froze.

"They're getting closer." Josh said, his voice shaking slightly. Jasper sent a wave of calm through the room and everyone's breathing regulated dramatically.

"They are getting closer, but their still more than 50km away. Remember, we wait until they reach the 50km mark before we make a move." Carlisle told the family, his voice slightly tight and Esme squeezed his shoulder gently.

"I can try and see their movements, but because we're relying on the news, I don't know what I'm looking for besides a group of two or possibly more newborn vampires moving towards Benambra. It's not going to be easy foreseeing their movements, but I can try." Alice said softly.

"Thank you Alice. We'll continue on with life as normal, but Esme and Matthew, while the rest of us are out, I need you two to keep a close eye on the news in case they strike again. I highly doubt they're going to move out of Victoria, so we need to be prepared if they decide to continue northeast." Carlisle told Esme and Matthew and they both nodded solemnly. The entire family obviously felt that way. Even Emmett, and he was usually the excitable, boisterous one. "Joshua, while you're at school, I would like you to protect the humans to the best of your ability. Those of you in high school, please protect the humans there as much as you can. Sero and Peter, if you could protect any humans who work at or enter the vet clinic, and William please do the same at the police station. Natalie, Kristen and I will protect those at the hospital." Carlisle explained and everyone nodded.

Over the previous couple of weeks, William had started working at the local police station, which had proven to be very helpful with the few cops in the area. Because Benambra was a very remote country town near the Victoria-New South Wales border, the hospital was very small, as were the local schools, vet clinic and there were few police at the station. Most police had moved away from this town for better pay and working conditions closer to Melbourne. In fact, it was obvious that the townspeople were grateful that we'd moved here. It was well known that Carlisle was the best doctor the town had ever seen, and Peter the best vet the town had ever seen. In fact, I frequently heard the townsfolk talking to each other about how amazingly well-behaved the Cullen 'kids' were, considering we were all 'adopted'.

The basic story going around was that because Esme was unable to have children (they of course didn't realise why), she and Carlisle had decided to adopt. First they adopted Edward, then Rose and Emmett, and then Alice and Jasper. After that, they'd 'adopted' Bella, then they'd then adopted me, before Jacinta, Kat and Anouk were adopted. After them, came Matthew, then Elizabeth and Joshua (the whole town knew they were siblings), before Peter was 'adopted'. Afterwards, Carlisle and Esme 'adopted' Sero, then Natalie and William. Carlisle and Esme were viewed as the 'adults' of this family, although most of us were actually able to be considered adults. According to the humans, Carlisle was in his early to mid thirties, Esme was in her early thirties, while Edward and Bella were 17, Rose and Emmett were 18, Alice was 17, Jasper was 18, I was 20, Jacinta, Kat and Anouk were all around 16, Matthew was 19, Liz was 14, Joshua was 9, Peter was 22, Sero was 21, Natalie 20, and William 21. According to them, most of us were adopted at a fairly young age, with Josh being adopted at about 4 months old.

Apparently, Edward was adopted at 3 years of age, Rose and Emmett at 5, Alice at 3 and Jasper at 4 years, Bella at 6 years, me at 9, Jacinta, Kat and Anouk all at 6, Matthew at 9, Elizabeth at 5 years and Josh at 4 months, Peter, Sero and Natalie were 13, and William was 15 when he was adopted. On top of that, there was no secret of the relationships within the family, although I knew some people found it weird and almost gross. They just didn't say anything because their natural aversion to our kind prevented it. And with regards to the children, the humans believed they too were adopted by Carlisle and Esme.

The next day, things only got worse. As usual, Carlisle had the news turned on from about 5am, and we received news that yet more people had died in the northern-most part of Mansfield.

"…One small family, consisting of 28 year old Tim Marks, 26 year old Felicity Marks and their 6 month old daughter Jane were found dead in their home late last night, with the same wounds to their throats as the three people killed yesterday morning. Again, none of their wounds were bleeding, though they had definitely severed the jugular and the carotid artery in each of their throats. Police once again suspect the same gang is involved in this murder, as with all the previous murders since the Rush and Prince Families were found dead in Melbourne. Once again, anyone with information is urged to contact police or Crime Stoppers." The news reporter said, before Carlisle turned the television off once again with very slow, deliberate movements.

"Jasper, how many do you estimate are in this group of newborns?" Carlisle asked Jasper softly, his voice tense. I could see everyone was tense. Sero was holding my hand so tight; I was amazed that none of the bones broke, even if I was a vampire.

"I can't tell for sure. They're making it difficult to tell how many of them there are, but I can tell you for sure that there's more than one, possibly between three and five, or maybe even more." Jasper replied and Carlisle sighed.

"Okay, thank you Jasper. We'll continue waiting until they reach the 50km mark, but I'd still like to track their movements as much as possible, even if they show signs of moving away. Just in case they come back towards Benambra." Carlisle explained and we all nodded with agreement to his idea.

"Sounds good Carlisle. Just remember that there's only so much we can do in this situation, if we want to avoid people dying and conflict between us and the vampires." Sero said to Carlisle, who nodded, smiling slightly at him.

"I realise your point, Sero. It wouldn't worry me normally, but these vampires are definitely risking exposing our kind. If they'd disposed of the bodies better, and disguised them better too, I wouldn't be so concerned." Carlisle replied and Sero inclined his head to acknowledge his feelings.

"Carlisle, don't you think there's the possibility that they're _trying_ to be noticed? What if they want to be noticed? What if they want the humans to know what they are? That could explain why they're not disguising the bodies, and leaving them where they died." Esme asked her husband and his breathing faltered. I could see the idea that that was what these vampires were planning hurt him deeply.

Right on cue, however, a huge wave of calm washed over us and everyone relaxed.

"While that is a possibility, Esme, there's still one question that remains. Why are they moving north-east from Melbourne, towards us? Is there a chance they know we're here, hiding among the humans? What if they want _us_ to know they're there, but not so much the humans?" Edward said and Esme nodded gravely.

"That's true, Edward. I didn't quite think of that." Esme admitted, smiling slightly.


	60. Chapter 59: Grrr!

_Chapter 59: Grrr!_

Three days after the attack in Mansfield, it was clear the vampires were moving towards us. We'd been keeping track of the news every day for the past three days, and one Wednesday evening, while I was cooking dinner for the five children, considering Natalie's boys were now eating with the others, I heard Carlisle swear and Sero walked into the kitchen, looking tense.

"Another person died?" I asked, already knowing the answer, by the way Carlisle swore.

"Yeah, but not just one person. An entire family was killed in southern Bright. They're getting closer." He replied and I sighed, taking the meal out to the children, before I hugged him.

"Let's hope no one else dies. I suppose that's all we can do, at the moment." I said softly and he sighed. "Come Sero, let's go hunt. You obviously need it, and to be honest, so do I." I whispered into his ear and he chuckled, placing an arm around my waist and leading me out the back door of the house.

We walked slowly into the forest, eventually stopping in an area of dense trees. He turned to me, smiling slightly.

"Are you going to hunt with me this time, or be lazy and bring an animal to you?" he asked me and I chuckled.

"I suppose I can hunt with you; the only thing is I've always brought an animal to me ever since my first hunt." I said softly and he sighed.

"It's not that hard, Kristen. Just remember you are faster than them." He said, flashing a grin at me and I rolled my eyes.

"I know that Sero. Let's go; I'm getting thirsty." I said and he chuckled as he and I sprinted into the distance, following a group of kangaroos, Sero taking a large male, and me taking a somewhat smaller female. I made sure there was no joey in her pouch before I bit into her soft throat and letting her blood spill into my mouth. The animal stopped struggling and fell limp as I heard the thudding of her heart stop completely. I finished draining its blood and dropped it, throwing myself into Sero's outstretched arms, instead.

He caught me, chuckling in my ear, pressing his lips against my throat briefly.

"I love you." He whispered and I smiled.

"I know. I love you too." I whispered in reply, kissing his lips briefly. It was then that I realised I'd better talk to Carlisle, find out how many were in the family that was killed. I voiced this aloud and Sero nodded as we sprinted back home. As usual, Esme was cleaning; she was wiping down the dining table when we arrived back.

"Welcome home, guys." She said, not looking up from her task and I smiled.

"Esme, do you know where Carlisle is? I need to talk to him about the group of vampires." I asked, deciding to clarify why I wanted to know where he was.

"I think he's in his study at the moment. He's been stressed about it lately, especially after today's news." She explained, looking concerned, and I couldn't blame her.

"I'll go see how he is, and possibly if I can calm him down a bit." I told her and she nodded as I headed up the stairs.

"I'll give you two some time alone." Sero whispered into my ear as he walked into the living room. I sighed, walking up the stairs and towards Carlisle's study.

Arriving at the closed door of his study, I knocked.

"Come in." Came Carlisle's voice from inside and I opened the door. He was sitting behind the desk, reading a book. He looked up as I approached. "How can I help you, Kristen?" he asked me as I closed the door behind me.

"I just wanted to make sure you were alright." I said softly, walking slowly closer to his desk – and therefore him. "Esme told me you were pretty stressed after listening to the news today."

He sighed, marking the page in his book and closing it, before he stood up and walked towards me, placing his hand on my shoulder. He was smiling slightly.

"She's right, I was stressed about it. But, as usual, you arrive on the scene and I suddenly feel a lot better." He said softly, and I couldn't help but smile.

"I'm glad you're feeling better, Carlisle. I do need to talk to you, though." I said and he sighed, nodding as he walked back to his desk and sat once again behind it.

"Sit down, Kristen." He said softly, still smiling slightly. I did as I was told and sat on a chair opposite him. "What do you need to talk about?" he asked and I sighed.

"I know this is going to hurt you a bit to talk about, and I'm very sorry, but I need to know how many there were in that family that was killed today." I said softly and he held his breath. He was no longer smiling, and I could see a small amount of pain in his eyes. I was right, this would hurt him. "I'm sorry to have hurt you Carlisle." I whispered, looking away to avoid his pain being reflected in me. As a result, I didn't see him stand up and walk around his desk towards me. He placed his arm gently around my shoulders, making me jump almost a mile in the air, and he chuckled softly.

"Sorry I made you jump, Kristen. You don't need to apologise for hurting me. I know you didn't intend to cause any harm or anything like that. I understand that you'd like to know, and I will tell you, regardless of how much it hurts me. I'll live." He finished with a small smile and I smiled slightly in return. I stood up and hugged him tightly and briefly.

"I love you Carlisle, and I don't like seeing you in pain." I said softly, looking into his eyes. Oops, big mistake. Seeing his honey-coloured eyes gazing directly into mine nearly started my frozen heart up again, and I subconsciously leaned forward and pressed my lips lightly and briefly to his, surprising both of us. I pulled away just as quickly, taking several steps backwards, to avoid it happening again. "Sorry Carlisle, it was completely unintentional." I whispered, so glad I couldn't blush. However, he was smiling, and he strode quickly closer and pulled me into his arms.

"Don't apologise. I will admit that I needed it." He whispered into my ear and I felt a smile creep onto my face. He sighed, letting go of me and taking a few steps away, just as I heard footsteps walk towards the door. I held my breath. The footsteps stopped at the door, just as we heard a knock. I quickly sat down in my seat and Carlisle approached the door, opening it to reveal Esme. Uh oh, she didn't hear what we were saying, did she?

"Are you okay, Carlisle?" she asked and Carlisle placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm fine, Esme. Don't worry." He replied softly and she nodded, smiled slightly and turned away.

"That's good to hear. I'll leave you two to it, then. Please just try to keep things G-rated. Knowing how the two of you feel towards each other concerns me a little to leave you alone together." She said and we nodded.

"Don't worry Esme; we'll make sure nothing happens." I said from my chair. She briefly flashed a smile in my direction.

"Thank you Kristen. Don't be too long, though guys." She added as she turned and walked out of the door, closing it behind her. Carlisle sighed, walking back towards his desk and sitting down behind it.

"Kristen, to answer your question, there were five: one single mother and her four children." He said, pain slightly evident in his golden eyes. Just looking at him tore my frozen heart to pieces and the emotional hole in my chest throbbed once again.

"Thank you for letting me know Carlisle. I'm sorry it caused you pain to say it, and I wish I could take that away. I love you, and it kills me to see you in pain." I whispered, walking towards him and placing my hand on his shoulder. He took my hand from his shoulder, and pressed his lips briefly to it, before releasing it.

"Don't apologise, Kristen. I'll be alright. I love you too, and I always will." He whispered in reply as he stood up and pulled me against his chest, pressing his lips briefly to my hair. I relaxed completely in his arms, just leaning slightly against his chest and allowed him to hold me there for a long while.

When he eventually released me with a last brief kiss to the lips, I realised that we'd been standing there like that for ten minutes. I sighed.

"I'd better go, before Esme and Sero start wondering what we're doing." I said softly and he smiled slightly.

"You're right. I love you." He whispered and I smiled briefly in return.

"I love you too." I whispered in reply as I walked out the door and downstairs, where I was leapt at by five puppies. I managed to catch them all and, still chuckling softly to myself, I walked into the living room, where I placed them down. Peter was in there, playing with the adult dogs, and the puppies gleefully joined in the game. He chuckled as he saw me walk in with all five pups in my arms.

"What did they do, attack you?" he asked as the pups ran towards the other dogs.

"Well, if that's what you call leaping at me out of nowhere, then yes." I replied and he chuckled again.

"Well, there's one thing they inherited from their father. His slightly insane side. I don't think I've ever seen a dog quite as crazy as Jumpy, and considering he's a vampire, he never tires, and therefore never stops. He doesn't have any concept of restraint." He said and I chuckled as I sat down next to them, just as Sero walked in and approached me. He sat down on my other side, chuckling at the dogs.

"Well Peter, on what you just said, they're all completely insane, regardless of whether or not they're related to Jumpy." He said and Peter shrugged.

"Yeah, well. I suppose you're right, but Jumpy's crazier than the lot of them." He said softly, standing up. "I'd better go hunt." He told us, before sprinting out of the back door of the house.

"He just felt uncomfortable about being with us. You could tell that's why he left." Sero muttered into my ear, just as we heard footsteps.

"Well, you can't blame him, can you? I mean, the love between you is palpable, and everyone knows how he feels about you, Kristen." Came Anouk's voice as she walked into the room with Kat behind her.

"Anouk's right, Kristen. We all know how Peter feels about you and whenever the two of you are together, the love is palpable, so you can understand that he'd start to feel a bit uncomfortable, all things considered." Kat agreed and I nodded while Sero shifted uncomfortably.

"It's not really _that_ palpable, is it?" he asked softly and we all chuckled at him.

"It is, Sero. Sorry, I understand that you don't intend it to be so, but it is palpable. I mean, you don't need to be Jasper to feel it." Kat said to him and he sighed.

"Don't worry about it Sero. And Kat, I can see where you're coming from with that. I just didn't realise that he had those feelings for me. I mean, I was somewhat aware, but I didn't think they were that strong. This could be a worry." I said and we all laughed.

"Well, you don't have the same feelings for him, do you?" Sero asked me softly.

"No. I can say I love him, but only as my 'brother'. Nothing more than that." I said, the quotation marks audible in my voice.

"Then you don't have anything to worry about." Sero said, just as movement caught my eye. A flash of green and a small amount of light brown. I sighed, realising that flash was probably Peter running off. He'd heard everything we'd said and was upset by it. "What's wrong Kristen?" Sero asked me and I sighed, standing up.

"I thought I just saw Peter run off. I think he'd stayed behind and when he'd heard what I'd just said, he ran off. He's obviously upset." I replied and Sero swore softly. "I'm going to go talk to him and calm him down." I added, walking towards the back door.

"I suppose. Let me know how it goes, okay? I'll just be getting Krystal and Devlin to bed, considering it's nine." Sero said softly.

"Would you mind letting us know as well? We'll be here, watching TV." Anouk said and I nodded. I kissed Sero briefly, before I sprinted out of the house and into the forest, where I stopped, just inside the trees. This was a problem. I had absolutely no idea which way Peter had gone. Sniffing the air, I caught a slight fresh scent and followed it, recognising that scent as Peter's.

I continued to follow Peter's scent at a sprint for twenty minutes, when I found him sitting on a fallen log, his back to me. I could see, though, that his knees were drawn up to his chest. He was obviously very upset.

"Peter?" I asked softly, almost timidly. He turned his head slightly to acknowledge that he'd heard me. "Listen Peter, I'm sorry you heard that. I really had no idea that your feelings were that strong." I said softly. He turned his head away from me and I sighed, walking slowly towards him and sitting next to him on the log. He turned away from me, but I caught a glimpse of his face, which was twisted with pain, and his irregular breathing told me that he was crying, though he tried to hide it from me. I sighed, placing my hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off. He stood up and walked slowly away.

"Don't bother Kristen. I should've known you didn't have the same feelings for me as I do for you." He said, and the pain he felt was clearly audible in his voice. I sighed.

"Peter, I'm sorry about that. I love you as my brother, but I'm so sorry it couldn't be more. I didn't intend to hurt you, and I'm sorry that I did." I said softly, taking a few steps towards him. He sighed, still facing away from me, obviously not wanting to show me just how hurt he really was. I took another step towards him, not wanting to make him feel uncomfortable, but wanting to console him at the same time. This was a moment where I wished I had Jasper's ability to change the emotional atmospheres of people. It'd make consoling him much easier. Another step towards Peter brought me within arm's reach of him. I timidly placed my hand on his shoulder, not wanting him to shrug it off.

"I don't know why you're bothering to comfort me, Kristen. You don't love me, so why bother? Why not just let me drown in my own misery?" he asked me and I could hear the pain in his voice.

"Peter, I do love you, but only as my brother. You're family to me, and I don't want to see you in pain. Sero, Kat and Anouk are worried sick about you as well. I know that I hurt you when I said I didn't have those kinds of feelings for you, and I'm very sorry about that." I said softly, hugging him to console him. He buried his face into my shoulder and I sighed, rubbing his back gently to calm him.

It didn't take long for him to calm down and he pulled away from the hug, sighing and giving me a tight smile.

"Thank you Kristen. I still don't know why you bothered, but thank you anyway." He said softly and I smiled in return.

"You're welcome Peter. I really didn't intend to hurt you." I replied softly.

"I know. Thank you." He smiled, turning and walking back in the direction of home. I followed suit knowing that at least for now, I'd managed to repair one of my strained relationships with the family. Next would be Esme. I knew she was still possessive of Carlisle whenever he and I were in the same room. I suppose that's what we get for all living together as one large group of vampires – relationships are almost certain to be strained at times.

The next day, I was watching the news with Sero and Carlisle, and what I saw made my breath catch in my throat. Another two families had been found dead in central Bright. Carlisle wasn't breathing, either, and I could see the stress and pain building in him. I forced myself to breathe, stood up and walked over to him, placing my hand on his shoulder.

"Carlisle?" I asked softly, sitting next to him. He looked at me, and I could see the pain in his eyes.

"I've never felt so helpless. I want to prevent any more people from dying, but at the same time, I want to avoid a fight with those newborns. The only problem is that it's difficult, because if we go now, we will be risking a fight, and I don't want it to come to that." He said softly and I sighed, tightening my grip on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Carlisle. We're doing what we can, and considering they're still outside the 50km radius, we can't do anything yet." I replied and he sighed. I was pleased he'd started breathing again.

"You're right, Kristen. I just don't want to see any more people die." He said and I nodded, understanding what he was getting at.

"Carlisle, none of us want to see any more people die. But there's only so much we can do." Sero said softly and Carlisle sighed, nodding. He was keeping his eyes downcast, and I could tell it was so he didn't cause me pain by showing the pain he was obviously feeling. I was glad that he was trying to protect my feelings, but at the same time, I was frustrated that there wasn't much I could to do stop him feeling that pain altogether.

"What's going on?" came Esme's voice as she walked into the room. She saw Carlisle and seemed to understand. "How many this time?" she asked and I sighed.

"Two families. One consisting of three people – a single mother and her two children, and the other consisting of four people – two parents and their two young children." I explained and she nodded, walking over and sitting on Carlisle's other side. I sighed. "I'd better put the kids to bed. Do you think you could keep him occupied so he doesn't think about it?" I said to Esme and she froze for a moment, before nodding. Sero stood up very quickly and headed for the door, obviously realising what was likely to happen. I followed him and with a final glance back at Carlisle, Sero and I walked up the stairs and found the kids playing with the dogs. Smiling, I approached them.

"Guys, it's time for bed now." Sero called out to the kids and they stood up. We led the elder children into their room, while the twin boys met their mother and followed her into their bedroom. Natalie looked at us and smiled, before she led her sons to bed.

Krystal and Devlin got into their respective beds and I kissed them each briefly on the forehead, before walking towards the door.

"Goodnight guys. Sleep tight." I said softly as I turned the light off and closed the door behind me. I walked into my room, Sero following me. He was looking concerned.

"Are you alright Kristen?" he asked me and I sighed.

"I'll be alright, Sero." I replied softly as he took me into his arms.

"Are you sure?" he asked and in reply, I pressed my lips hard to his. He sighed, tightening his grip on me, and sitting on the bed, causing me to have to sit down with him. The kiss began to become increasingly passionate, but I didn't pull away. Instead, I allowed him to begin undressing me.

Over the next two days, we didn't hear any more of the vampires, but on the second day, we received news of another person dying in northern Bright. I sighed. They were still moving closer, but were being careful about their advance. It was obvious, however, that their killings were still sloppy, as Jasper said, and it was likely to remain that way for a while.

However, we now had another problem on our hands – or more likely, _I_ had another problem on my hands. It was now reaching January 23rd, which had been Rowan's birthday, so I was now going to have to deal with him not actually being here. Although it had been nearly three years since his passing, the three dates that were still very painful for me were his birthday, Christmas day and the anniversary of his death. Just thinking about him still made my eyes prickle with tears I knew would never come.

"Kristen? Are you okay?" came Sero's voice, sounding very distant. I looked up, only then realising that I was sitting on my bed, and my head had been resting in my hands. When I didn't answer, he sighed and walked towards me, sitting next to me and placing his arm around my shoulders. He pulled me gently against him and I relaxed in his arms. "You were thinking about him again, weren't you?" he asked me softly, careful not to say Rowan's name. I nodded slowly, my breathing becoming irregular and the emotion weighing down so much on my chest that I could barely breathe. He sighed deeply again as he held me gently against his chest, rubbing my back with his hand. I started sobbing tearlessly into his chest, and he just sat there in silence, now absent-mindedly rubbing my back.

When I finally lifted my face from his chest, he held my shoulders firmly but gently, making me look at him, reminding me of when Derryn had done that on our first – and only – date. I sighed, waiting for the interrogation.

"Are you okay now Kristen?" he asked me and I hesitated briefly before nodding. He didn't buy it. "Okay, I'll take that hesitation as a 'no, but I won't tell him that. I'll just tell him I'm fine.' Kristen, I understand that you're in pain, which I wish I could take away from you, but please be honest with me with regards to your pain. You've been doing a good job over the past couple of years to pretend that you weren't still hurting, but you can't fool this vampire. I know that you've been hurting pretty much non-stop over the course of the last couple of years." He said and I sighed, nodding, looking away to avoid catching his eye and letting him see the amount of pain that I was feeling. He pressed his lips against my forehead, before pulling me against his chest once again.

"Sero?" I asked softly after a while.

"Hmm?" Sero looked at me to show he was listening.

"What's the date today?" I asked him softly, almost timidly, and he sighed, pressing his lips against mine gently.

"It's the 14th today. Why did you ask?" he replied.

"I wanted to know exactly how many days until his birthday. So I could help the kids through it." I answered and he sighed, nodding understandingly.

"Fair enough. But just remember that you also need to look after yourself, and not only the kids. I understand that you're their only living parent at the moment–"

"Though not biologically." I pointed out and he sighed.

"Yes I understand that, but from what I was told, he'd told you when they were born that you could mother them. Am I right?" he asked and I nodded, remembering back to the day that Krystal and Devlin were born, nearly five years ago. "Okay, thank you. Now, I understand that you have a responsibility to those children, as their only living _carer_, but you also need to look after yourself." He told me and I nodded.

"I know, and I'm trying to do that. It's just difficult, because of everything that's happened, and that's happening now." I whispered and Sero pressed his lips to my hair.

"I know, and that's where I can help you look after the kids, but you'll still need to look after yourself. I can't do that for you." He said softly.

"I know, Sero. I'm sorry that I'm making you worry. You have actually been a great help to me over the past couple of years, in more ways than one, and you deserve more credit than you're actually receiving for it. Thank you." I whispered into his ear, pressing my lips hard against his. He sighed, pulling me to his chest and holding me tight while his lips continued to caress mine.

As the 23rd of January approached, Sero had begun keeping an extremely close eye on me while I went about my daily business. Everyone had taken the next few weeks off work, and school wasn't due to start until the start of February. It was now the 20th, a Tuesday, and I could see the twins, who now resembled 15 year olds, were aware of the date. The two of them spent more time moping around, occasionally playing with the dogs, but no longer playing with the other children in the house. Renesmee was clearly aware of this change in the twins, and was also worried. She now resembled a 19 year old, and she continued trying to talk to them, but to no avail. Everyone was clearly worried about them, and I couldn't blame them.

At about two that afternoon, Esme approached me, eyeing Krystal, who was sitting on the sofa with her knees drawn up to her chest and her chin resting on them.

"Kristen, I really think you should try talking to them. I mean, I know the past couple of years have been difficult for them without him around, but for some reason, this year it's somewhat worse. The two of them have never started talking at all, and I'm not sure if you've noticed, but Krystal is losing weight, as though she's not eating. And it's unusual for Devlin to stay out in the forest for the whole day and only come in after dark. At the very least, you should try to understand why this year is so much more difficult than the last two." She murmured to me at vampire speed and I nodded.

"I know Esme. Thank you for letting me know, but I have been trying to get through to them. Unfortunately, I don't think even I can talk to them. I suppose it's possible that this year is so much more difficult for Devlin because he's hit puberty, and he doesn't have his father for support in that respect. And he just doesn't seem comfortable around any of the other men to talk to them about it. It's hard for him." I replied, also at vampire speed. "I'll go find Devlin and try and get him back into the house. Do you think you could do me a favour and try talking to Krystal? I'll need to talk to both of them in the dining room, though. If it turns out they need professional counselling, then I can organise that, but I can't if I don't know what's going on." I added and she nodded, turning to Krystal, who was still staring blankly straight ahead, with tears in her eyes. I sighed, sprinting out of the house and following Devlin's scent.

I spent about five minutes running almost in circles, before I found him pacing in a forest clearing about a kilometre from home.

"Devlin?" I asked him softly, taking a step towards him. He looked up and sighed, before turning away. "Devlin, listen to me. I know that you miss your father, but you won't be helping yourself or anyone else by moping around here all day. Why is it you won't talk to anyone about it?" I asked him, and he turned his head to face me. I could see tears in my son's eyes and it broke my heart to see it.

"I'm sorry Mum, it's hard to explain it." He said softly. "There's several reasons for it, including to save Jasper the torture of feeling my pain."

"Devlin, I understand that you want to save Jasper from feeling your pain, and believe me, I am pleased that you are thinking of other people besides yourself, but it's not good for you to just keep it all inside. Do you remember when you were younger and we'd told you off for hurting the dingoes, and I explained to you that it was okay if you needed to cry?" I asked him and he nodded. I could hear his heart slowing slightly, and it was obvious that he was attempting to keep his breathing regular. "It still is okay to cry if you need to. And it always will be. Trust me Devlin, dispel all thoughts of weakness if you cry, because those beliefs are completely wrong. Humans were given the ability to cry as a way of expressing sadness and grief. Although you're ¾ vampire, you still have human in you, and as a result, you still have that ability, so don't let it go to waste. If you're happy, you laugh, yes?" he nodded. "So why can't you cry if you're sad?" I asked him and he sighed, tears beginning to enter his eyes again as his breathing became irregular. I walked up to him and pulled him into a hug. "Let it out. Don't hold it in, it's only going to hurt you even more." I whispered.

"Okay Mum." He replied, his voice breaking as he broke down completely in sobs. I sighed, rubbing his back gently with my hand while I consoled him in a soft voice.

When he'd eventually stopped crying, he lifted his head from my shoulder and turned away slightly. My t-shirt was soaked from his tears, but I didn't care.

"Devlin, please come inside with me. I need to talk to both you and your sister in the dining room." I said softly and Devlin sighed, following me towards the house.

We arrived at the house to see Krystal was still sitting on the sofa, and Esme was obviously still trying to get her to talk. I sighed, asking Devlin to wait in the dining room while I got his sister.

"Mum, I'll talk to her." He said softly as he walked past me, towards Krystal. I was slightly surprised to realise that he was actually only about an inch shorter than me. He would soon outgrow me. I smiled slightly at that thought. I walked towards the living room, as Esme stood up, walking towards me.

"Sorry Kristen. I tried to get her to talk about what she's feeling, but she just continues to refuse to even open her mouth." She said softly to me and I smiled at her.

"That's okay Esme. You did what you could. Thanks for trying." I replied and she smiled, placing a hand briefly on my shoulder as she walked away. Sighing, I continued walking towards the living room, walking in and seeing Devlin sitting on the arm of the sofa, talking to his sister. Krystal was responding with nods, and an occasional word, but she was obviously not saying much.

"What's going on, guys?" I asked as I approached.

"I'm not getting much out of her, but from what I did get from her, she's finding it harder this year than the last couple of years." Devlin replied and I sighed, sitting next to my daughter on the sofa.

"Did she tell you why?" I asked and he shook his head.

"She wouldn't say. Sorry Mum." He said and I smiled slightly.

"Don't apologise Devlin. Thank you for trying." I said softly, before turning to Krystal. "Krystal, would you mind explaining why you're finding this year harder than previously?" I asked her softly and she sighed, looking away from me. She was still refusing to talk. I decided to try a different tactic. "Okay, would you mind explaining why you're losing so much weight? Are you not eating as much?" I asked and she sighed.

"I'm not eating as much anymore because I just haven't been hungry." She replied and I sighed, pleased that she'd said something, but worried about the answer. A loss of appetite was a huge concern, especially if it caused severe weight loss.

"She has been picking at her food, but she barely touches it. I think in the end, most of it is given to the pups." Devlin piped up and my eyebrows drew together in concern.

"That's not healthy, Krystal. Do you think you need professional counselling?" I asked her, but she didn't respond.

"I'd say professional counselling might help her, Kristen." Came a male voice as Edward walked towards us. "I'm afraid you're not going to get much out of her. She's protected her mind well. I can't read the thoughts to tell you why this year is harder than previously." He explained and I nodded, concerned for my daughter's welfare.

"Although I think the shrink might well diagnose her with depression." Jasper said, also walking towards us. It appeared that the whole family would end up in here, the way things were looking.

"That's true, Jasper, but it is better to have her seek professional help and have it treated properly, than leave it untreated, and have Krystal make unfortunate decisions." Carlisle told him, walking over with a concerned expression in his eyes. "If not treated, depression can be fatal. We don't want to lose another member of the family."

"I know. I was just saying." Jasper said, his face grave.

"Kristen!" came a female voice as Alice came dancing into the room. I looked up at her. "I've written down the number of the nearest psychologist for you to make an appointment for Krystal. You will need to tell her to be honest without revealing too much about us. We don't want her sent to a mental institution for being considered insane and mentally unstable. Like I was." She said, her face falling. I knew what she meant. I'd heard her story before: when she was human, she was sent to a mental institution by her parents for having visions, before she was rescued by a vampire, who later bit her. The vampire was killed, however, and Alice was left to wander, before she got a vision of Jasper and set out to find him. She then got a vision of Carlisle and the rest and she and Jasper set out to find them. To put it nicely, the memory obviously still hurt her.

"I know. Thank you Alice for looking it up for me. For once, I'm glad you looked into my future." I said, smiling at her.

"No problems, Kristen. We all want to help her." Alice replied, handing me the small piece of paper and placing her hand briefly on my shoulder.

"Alice's right, Kristen. Krystal is a much-loved member of this family, and I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say that none of us particularly enjoy seeing her upset." Carlisle added and I nodded, smiling slightly.

"Thanks, all of you. Hopefully she'll open up a bit to the psychologist." I said and Krystal looked up, an almost horrified expression on her face.

"Mum, don't send me to a shrink!" she exclaimed loudly.

"Krystal, you know I don't have any choice unless you tell us what's going on. I understand you don't want to see a psychologist, but it might help you open up a little bit." I told her gently.

"I'll talk, if I don't have to see a shrink." She replied, pouting. I looked up at my family briefly.

"See what she says. It may just be something unrelated that's causing her to become upset, but the time of year just making it worse for her." Alice said.

"That sounds like a good idea, Alice. Try it Kristen, but I wouldn't throw away the psychologist's number just in case it turns out she does need professional help." Carlisle agreed with Alice and I nodded.

"Okay Krystal. If you tell me what's bothering you and making this year so much more difficult, I'll try and avoid calling the psychologist, alright? Do we have a deal?" I asked my daughter, sighing.

"Okay Mum. Deal." She replied.

"Okay, then I'll need you to follow me into the dining room. We'll talk there, where it'll be quieter." I said and the rest of the family walked away, Devlin turning on the television. "Devlin, why don't you take the pups for a walk?" I asked my son briefly and he nodded, turning off the TV and walking into the hallway to get the leashes from the wall. Sighing, I led Krystal into the dining room, asking her to sit down. She did as she was told and I sat in the chair next to her.


End file.
